Teana's Travels Book 4: Shinobi
by D.K.N
Summary: Following the trail to her mother's birth-world, Teana leads her team in many trials alongside a spirited blond boy against a mysterious shadowy organization bent on wreaking havoc in their search for the Tailed Beasts. Rated M for language, violence, an
1. Konoha

Well, here comes the next big step on Teana & co.'s journey. Now, our rebellious redhead explores the world of her mother's birth, and fights alongside a ditzy yet gifted young man chosen by ancient prophecy to bring peace to the world.

And for those who can't find it, Book 3, which must be read for Book 4 to make sense, is in the 'Crossovers - Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Misc. Crossovers' section. Or you could just go to my page and find it there.

**THE FOLLOWING THINGS ARE THE PROPERTIES OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS; I DO NOT OWN THEM AND MAKE NO MONEY OFF OF THIS STORY**

_Mahō Shōjo Lyrical Nanoha _(Teana, various other characters) – 7Arcs

_Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni _(Shion and friends/family) – 07th Expansion and Studio Deen

_Shuffle!_ (Kaede Fuyō and associated characters) – Navel and Asread

_Erika's New Perfume _(Marie, Sarah, Erika, Timmy, Veronica) – DeviantArtist 'Lance the Young'

_Mai-chan's Daily Life _(Mai, Kizuna) – Waita Uziga

_Star Wars _(Ahsoka, Cody, Rex, _Force Unleashed_ cast) – George Lucas, Lucasfilm

_Halo_ (Forerunners, UNSC, Sangheili Alliance) – Bungie, 343 Industries

_StarCraft_ (multiple characters, events, and devices) – Blizzard Entertainment

_Naruto_ (characters, techniques, abilities) – Masashi Kishimoto

**-****_BOOK 4 START_****-**

**Earth NTO-23**

**_Konohagakure no Sato _****(Village Hidden Amongst the Leaves)**

**Hokage Tower**

Tsunade Senju, 5th and current Hokage, sat at her desk, keeping some semblance of a calm exterior as the newcomers finally finished their explanations. To her left stood her faithful assistant Shizune and her old teammate and current top recon Jiraiya, to her right stood her five best _Jōnin _– Kakashi (fresh from the hospital), Might Guy, Asuma, Yamato, and Kurenai – , and against the left wall (well, her left) stood Naruto, Sakura, and Sai, who had been recently dwelling on their recent run-in with Orochimaru and Sasuke… and how Naruto had lost control and manifested the fourth tail.

The arrival of the starship, currently hovering 500 meters over the forest on the other side of Hokage Mountain, had caused quite a stir, but the people (humans and not) aboard had quickly proven their good intent. Their leaders – Ship-Master Zhal Arum, Special-Ops Force Leader Erohn Kilkar, and Colonel Urban Holland – and their unique six-girl Spec-Ops team had been escorted to the Hokage Tower (both by the ANBU and by eight of their own soldiers as guards) , and the head trio had spent the last few hours explaining their situation and origins. The shinobi had known of the existence of other planes, but to know that humans had come to exist on several of them was a surprise. Holland, equipped with some sort of 3D screen-less "holographic" version of a television, had given a run-down on the absolutely devastating Human-Covenant War and the abomination known as the Flood, and then the redheaded girl – Teana Lanstar – had, in brief, explained her life's ambitions, her leaving her homeworld, and her parts played in two interplanetary wars.

She and her team had explained their little dimension-hopping journeys, and how the ship's artificial intelligence had literally downloaded knowledge of chakra and how to use it and such directly into their brains, and had then pointed out the space-time coordinates for this planet. They had also – Teana begrudgingly, Marie freely – explained magic, while Ahsoka explained the Force; the idea of power forces that, rather than being generated from inside a user's body, were omnipresent throughout the Universe and were drawn through the user's body somehow were quite new, and quite intriguing, as had been the mysterious fourth – the Void – that Shion used (and didn't fully understand, the girl had admitted, as to fully understand the Void was "only for those who have returned to it", and even beings near 1,000 years of age couldn't fully grasp its innermost properties).

"Every time we follow the coordinates that the _Starshot _provides," the green-haired girl Shion said, "we wind up in a realm just in time to help the locals with some problem. Sometimes it's minor, sometimes it's major. And judging by the faint visions Ahsoka and I have had, something _big's_ going to happen on this world; something we could be of help in handling."

"Plus," Ahsoka said, "we were hoping that maybe, if it wasn't too much trouble, you could… help us train? We've gotten a lot stronger with our jutsu since we got it a few weeks ago, but if we're gonna get even stronger, be able to handle bigger threats, we'll need guidance."

"…Very well" Tsunade finally said. "I'll have to discuss it formally with the _daimyō_, but I see no harm in you all staying here for a while. Just… don't freak the civilians out too much with your advanced tech, if you can avoid it. And _please _try not to let the civvies get hold of your weapons."

"No problem, ma'am" Col. Holland replied.

"There's… something else…" Teana said. "Another reason why we came here. Why _I _came here. During the tail end of my time on Halo-05, a bloodline-based ability inherited from my mother awakened in the battle against the Brute Alpha-Chieftain Tartarus, and it reached its final stage of standard-form development during my battle against Kerrigan, and its advanced form while fighting a _kishin _in our last realm. We delved into the all-dimensional archives, and found that my mother came from this planet…. and from this village."

The shinobi were paying _very _close attention now.

"My mother 'disappeared' on a mission on this world, 26 years ago. You guys declared her 'MIA – Assumed KIA', but she wound up on Midchilda. She met my father, had my brother three years later and then me six more years after that… and four years after that, she and my father were killed – murdered by an unknown assailant of extreme power… who apparently came back and killed my brother six years ago, or sent a subordinate to do it. In addition to a mage, my mother was a powerful _Jōnin_. I'm all that's left of her legacy, and I have inherited her ability. And now I've come here, to her home, seeking answers, to fill in the blanks of her tale and maybe find out who is responsible for killing my family."

Teana stepped back, making sure everyone could see her… and her blue eyes turned red, three comma marks appearing. The shinobi were completely shocked.

"I am the daughter of Sayuri Uchiha."

"…By the Sage…" Asuma whispered. "Sayuri-san? She… wound up on another world?"

Teana nodded. "I know that I and the two rogue brothers – my cousins - are the only known Uchiha still alive, and that my elder cousin Itachi massacred the clan for reasons unknown. I mean to find out exactly why he did that, and to see if his considerable intelligence network has even the slightest hint of who killed my family… so that I may take vengeance upon them. But I'm… not strong enough as I am right now. My team and I… we need your help, to find out who left me an orphan, and why."

Her eyes shifted to their _Mangekyō _form.

"And to make them _pay_."

Kakashi frowned slightly behind his mask. This girl, like Sasuke, had a powerful and potentially dangerous drive for revenge. However, unlike Sasuke this girl had a strong bond with her team, which would keep her from turning to the darkness like his old student had. Hopefully.

'Hmph. Well, she's definitely got Sayuri-chan's spirit' Jiraiya thought. 'A little darker, though; more brooding and serious than her mom was. Though, considering what she's been through…'

"…All right. We can start training you as soon as you six are officially registered as Leaf Village shinobi, which should take about four days. In the meantime, you can familiarize yourselves with the locale, and you can use the training grounds by yourselves until we can legally start helping you."

"Thank you, ma'am" Teana said and bowed.

"Lanstar" Kakashi said suddenly. "So you have the _Mangekyō_… how bad has your eyesight gotten?"

Teana smirked. "It's completely undamaged, Hatake-san. Forerunner biotech implants in my eyes repair the damage as it's done, so my eyesight will not deteriorate no matter how much I use the _Mangekyō Sharingan_."

Kakashi and Tsunade were thoroughly shocked.

"I have another set for your left eye; it will keep the eye in working order _and _repair any damage that's already been done. Though I should warn you; these implants do not mitigate the enormous cost in chakra that comes with using a _Mangekyō _technique, so the eyes must still be used sparingly."

"Although that isn't too much of a problem for Ms. Lanstar" Zhal cut in. "Her chakra reserves are extraordinary, approaching or perhaps even matching those of a Tailed-Beast Host. Simply put, she can keep fighting for a _long _time, and once she learns some heavier attacks she can use them with more impunity than most."

"Any more special abilities we don't know of?" Yamato asked.

"Mai-chan's regenerative abilities" Shion replied. "It puts what Tailed-Beast Hosts can do to shame. Theoretically, Mai could fully regenerate from a fragment of a single cell. I say theoretically because, in all her time with us, she hasn't yet taken any wounds that would kill even a normal person. It would take total atomic disruption to actually kill her."

"…Holy _crap_…"

"Yeah. And it's fast, too. During the battle against that humongous demon, she got her arm torn off at the elbow. It had completely grown back within 15 seconds. And when she got a three-centimeter-wide hole punched through her torso, all the damage to everything – organs, muscle, flesh – was completely repaired within about seven or eight seconds."

"I still feel all the pain of any injuries I get, though," Mai said, "so… please be careful."

"Of course" Tsunade said with a light but friendly smile. "Naruto, Sakura, Yamato, please give Gamma Team a tour of the city. The rest of us will finalize things on our end."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama"

"Sure thing, _baa-chan_"

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Four days later**

"Well, now that we've determined Naruto's elemental affinity," Kakashi said, "let's see what you six have. Please step forward and grab one of these slips of special paper, then channel a small amount of your chakra through it and see what happens."

Teana stepped up first, grabbing a piece of chakra-reactant paper, closing her eyes and focusing a small portion of her power through it. The paper burst into flame at the top, and as it burned it suddenly split in half.

"_Two _affinities" Kakashi said with a very slight hint of surprise. "Fire and Wind - a potentially devastating combination in the right hands."

"How so?" Teana asked.

"A Wind _jutsu _can strengthen a Fire _jutsu_. At higher levels, you could, say, blast your foes with a horizontal tornado of flame, or shoot slicing wind waves through a fire wall that will then both cut and burn. There are all sorts of combination techniques; Wind can also strengthen Water techniques, while Fire can also boost Earth techniques, as can Lightning to Water techniques. Now, who's next?"

Shion walked up and grabbed a slip of paper, focusing her chakra into it. The tip caught fire, and then suddenly the paper vanished – not just from sight, but from existence.

"…Oookay…"

Shion chuckled nervously. "Sorry about that. That's probably my Void abilities. So… Fire, right?"

"Yep"

Kaede then walked up, grabbing a piece of paper and focusing on it. Everyone was startled as, within one second's time, the paper crumpled into a lightning pattern, then crumbled into dust, and then the pieces caught fire.

"…_Three _affinities?!"

"Wow, Kaede" Ahsoka said. "You've been holdin' out on us, maybe?"

"I swear, this is news to me, too" Kaede replied. "From my experimentation during earlier training, I thought I only had Lightning. To have Earth and Fire as well…"

"To have knowledge of three different elements of _jutsu_ – or even all five – isn't too uncommon for more experienced _shinobi_," Kakashi said, "even I know attacks in all five, but to have three natural affinities… this is extremely rare. With proper training, Kaede, you could be the most versatile member of the team. So… next?"

Marie walked up and grabbed her slip of paper. It, too, burst into flame. Mai's paper crumpled and became wet, while Ahsoka's crumpled.

"Hm… a little unbalanced, aren't we?" Yamato said. "Between the six of you, we have one Water user, an Earth user, one Wind user, three Lightning users, and _four _Fire users."

"It can't be helped" Kakashi said. "Besides, just because someone doesn't have an affinity for an element, doesn't mean they can't use techniques from that element. Now, Naruto, start with the exercises I showed you. Teana, Marie, come with me. Yamato, start helping Mai and Kaede."

"_Hai, sempai_"

As the two _Jōnin _and their new unofficial trainees headed to spots around the training field, Kakashi's group received a sudden interruption.

"Um… K-Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi, Teana, and Marie turned to look as a girl shyly came out through the trees. She had long, blue-black hair, and a bulky jacket that nonetheless wasn't big enough to hide her considerable assets. Teana recognized from the records the pupiless light-violet eyes of one of the Village's most 'prestigious' clans.

"Ah, good afternoon, Hinata-san" Kakashi said with a smile (not that anyone who didn't know him well could tell). "What brings you here this afternoon? …Come to watch Naruto train?"

"U-um… actually…. Um… Pleasehelpmetrain!"

"…Huh?"

"P-Please… help me train… I… I need to broaden my skills… develop a wider range of capabilities beyond just my clan's _taijutsu _style. Element techniques, maybe the _Kage Bunshin_, or maybe some elements of whatever fighting styles that our new friends have."

"Hmm… alright!"

"But I promise I- …huh?"

"I said okay. I don't really see any problem in it. Truth be told, Kurenai and I have been waiting for one or both of us to train you, but we wanted to let you work up the courage to ask first, as a test."

"…Thank you" She turned to the girls. "Um, what fighting styles do you girls have? And your element affinities?"

"Marie and I both have Fire affinities," Teana replied, "and I also have Wind. Marie's fighting style is… improvisational. I don't think I can teach you mine, since it relies partly on the abilities I get from my augmentations."

"Augmentations?"

"Use those eyes of yours to check out my innards – specifically, my bones, muscles, and central nervous system."

Hinata activated her Byakugan, and gasped in shock as she examined Teana's body – the carbide ceramics on her skeleton; the enhanced density of her magic-fueled muscles; her nanotech-enhanced internal organs; the artificial enhancement of the nerves and neurons of her brain and spinal cord. Nigh-unbreakable bones, superhuman strength, ultra-durable self-repairing organs, and super-speed nerve signal transmissions… this girl was a cyborg the likes of which Hinata's world's top science-fiction writers couldn't even dream of, and yet unlike the externally-part-mechanical figures of local sci-fi (or the very real artificial figure of the deceased Akatsuki member Sasori), Teana, with her extraordinarily advanced biochemical and bio-mechanical enhancements, looked completely, indistinguishably human.

"_Whoa_…" Hinata whispered.

"I know, right?" Tia said. "You should see my powered armor that comes with all this. Anyway, shouldn't you start by finding out what your element affinity is?"

"Huh? Oh, right!"

Kakashi handed Hinata a slip of chakra-paper, and she channeled her power through it. Soon, the chakra flowing through it became water, the paper becoming wet. Kakashi turned to across the field.

"Yo! Yamato!" he shouted. "Got another one for ya!"

The others across the way turned to look, spotting Hinata.

"Water-user" Kakashi said, pointing his thumb at Hinata, who fidgeted. Yamato smiled and waved her over, and after a few seconds she worked up the courage to walk over to the other group. Naruto smiled at her, causing her to blush rather deeply (which Mai and Kaede noticed and giggled lightly about once they quickly put two & two together).

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Hokage's Office**

**Nine days later**

"What do you have to report, Kakashi? What are the details on the 'minor incident' you contacted me about?"

"Well… long story short: three of the girls have new sources of power."

"Short story long, please?"

"Sorry. (sigh) Where to begin? Well, first off, it turns out that, through natural genetics or through manipulation by the _Starshot _or maybe just a one-in-a-billion random happening from traveling between dimensions, but Kaede Fuyō has a _Kekkei Genkai_ – it manifested during a recent spar."

"And her ability is?"

"_Shikotsumyaku_ – Dead Bone Pulse, the same ability possessed by the extinct Kaguya Clan."

"…You're not joking with me?"

"Nope" He revealed his _Sharingan _and used the memory-sharing technique he'd recently developed with it, allowing Tsunade to see the emergence of Kaede's ability in the middle of a spar… along with the girl freaking out at the sight of bones painlessly emerging from her flesh, which quickly healed itself upon the bones' 'retraction', until things were explained to her.

"Very interesting… but you said there were _three _of the girls. Who else?"

"Well, for the next parts I had to tap into the _Starshot_'s trans-dimensional archives through Cross Mirage to get the full explanation. Mai and Shion have Tailed Beast chakra."

"…What?!"

"Believe me, I was damn shocked too when Mai and Shion flared up with that oh-so-familiar-feeling chakra – pale-red and bright-green, respectively. Mai is, apparently, something called a "Type-2 _Jinchūriki_". Rather than a Type-1, who has an actual _Bijū _sealed inside them, she has a significant amount of that Tailed Beast's chakra, along with the abilities that being a Type-1 for that particular beast grants. Though a Type-2 can't tap into all tails' worth of power like a Type-1 can."

"I've heard about Type-2s; they're even rarer than standard _Jinchūriki_. Which beast does Mai derive her power from?"

"The Eight-Tailed Ox, and scans suggest she could call up to five, maybe six tails of power."

"And… Shion?"

"She's a Type-1. It happened during her very first Void Jump, during her training on Shakuras, and apparently the Protoss somehow failed to notice it… or maybe they didn't and chose to keep quiet about it. It's _not _one of the nine Tailed Beasts of our world. From what Tano and the _Starshot_'s Virtual Intelligence can discern, there was another world in another 'universe' somewhere that met an unpleasant fate. It had a set of Tailed Beasts different from our world's, and when things went really badly two of them managed to escape. One of them, the 5-Tailed Tiger, ended up in the Void, and when Shion pulled off her first successful Void Jump in training, for a brief moment the two… 'overlapped', for lack of a better word. This somehow resulted in the other 5-Tails being sealed inside her, and the disorientation and sense of 'disassociation' that came with her very first Void Jump was enough that she failed to notice her new 'hitchhiker'.

"Shion's abilities are exactly the same as Naruto's, except for her Beast chakra being green instead of Naruto's red. …And, if she were to lose control, she could transform into a 4-Tailed Form just like Naruto's; however, if she went to 5-Tails, it would _not_ release the beast and kill her in the process. There's also a 7-Tailed Wolf Daemon out there somewhere in the multiverse, with the same properties except with blue chakra… and if the 7-Tails is inside someone, and they went to seven tails, it _would _have the same effect as if Naruto went to nine tails."

"…What are they all up to now?"

"Naruto is helping teach Mai and Shion how to tap into their power and still maintain control of it… without tapping into his own, of course, considering… recent happenings…"

"Of course. And Kaede?"

"Teana's teaching her some swordplay, since Kaede's already worked out the Humerus Sword that most Kaguya Clan members relied on. I came to ask if you still had the records of past Kaguya Clan engagements, as well as from Naruto, Rock Lee, & Gaara's fight against Kimimaro."

"Yes. Cabinet J-L, Drawer K2. About two-thirds of the way back."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama."

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**_Starshot _****– Gamma Team's Quarters section**

**Next morning**

After she woke up, Teana chose to remain lying in bed pondering various things, especially the happenings of yesterday. Knowing that, at this time of morning, Kaede and Marie were probably already awake and… busy… Teana figured she'd ask Kaede how she was faring later on. That left Shion and Mai. She decided to check in on Shion first. She sat up, feeling the sheet slide down her nude form, exposing her assets to the cool morning air, and opened a silent one-way vid-channel to see if her Second was awake yet.

The screen showed Shion still asleep peacefully, a look of contentment on her face, the sheet pulled up to just below her chin. But they looked a little too bulky; Shion's breasts were big, but nowhere near _that _big… come to think of it, there was _one _lump in the sheet, not two. The answer came when something beneath the sheets twitched and wiggled, and then the sheets slid down to reveal a head of light-brown hair, revealing Mai sleeping peacefully using Shion's chest as a very soft, comfortable pillow. Both were quite obviously naked, with Shion's arms wrapped around Mai's body, and Mai's hugging Shion's waist.

Teana blushed brightly and terminated the connection. 'Again?!' she thought. 'Am I the only one not getting any?!' Just on a hunch, she checked on Ahsoka, finding the Togrutan girl sleeping alone and in her nightclothes. Closing that channel, Teana lay back and thought some more, her thoughts now of a considerably less innocent nature.

'So Shion's breasts _are_ a little bigger than mine… And I didn't know she had a little freckle there…'

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Hokage Tower**

**11 Days Later**

"We've received reports of the tombs of prominent members of the Fire Daimyō Guard being robbed. Yamato, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Shion, Ahsoka, you are to head to the temple marked on this map. There, you will meet up with the head monk Chiriku, who will direct you further."

"Yes, ma'am"

**_-CHAPTER_********_END_****-**


	2. Hidan & Kakuzu

Factoid for my stories: using the _Mangekyō Sharingan_'s techniques takes huge amounts of chakra and puts strain on the eyes. But merely activating the _Mangekyō_, using its 'zoom' function or its further enhanced optical precision (or just using its appearance to scare those who recognize it), costs no more than activating the standard _Sharingan _and does no damage to eyesight.

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

Teana stood atop the roof of the bounty office, using her _Sharingan _to scan the area, looking for even the slightest hint of the black-with-red-clouds cloaks of the teams' targets. Below her, the rest of her current team – Ahsoka, Ino Yamanaka, Chōji Akimichi, and Aoba Yamashiro – staked out the building from ground level. After the fiasco involving an artificially-made Type-2 Nine-Tails _Jinchūriki _and a crazy old man's plan to level the village using _jutsu_-armed zombies, things had been relatively quiet for a little while, as Asuma had gotten to helping teach Teana some more _Fūton _techniques, leading her to see him as kind of like an uncle.

But then, Jiraiya's intelligence network had confirmed that, in Iwagakure, the Two-Tails' Host had been captured by the Akatsuki, her Tailed Beast then forcefully extracted from her dying body. Not too long afterward, Chiriku had been killed by the very same Akatsuki team, who likely wanted to cash in on the head monk's prodigious bounty. So Tsunade had sent out the _Nijū Shotai_, Akatsuki-hunter teams to scour the Land of Fire and stake out all bounty collection offices likely to be used by the dark duo.

Further reminiscing was cut short by Ahsoka. "Guys! I can sense a few huge chakra signatures a few kilometers from here! It feels like they're fighting! …Asuma is one of them!"

"Asuma-sensei?!"

"Come on!" Aoba shouted. "If they're up against Akatsuki, they'll need help! We have to hurry! Ahsoka, lead the way!"

The team took off at max speed, leaping through the trees and following Ahsoka as she felt out the clashing power signatures. As they neared their destination, she gasped suddenly as she felt Asuma's power signature and life force take an abrupt nosedive, and channeled more Force into her muscles to further increase her speed. The rainstorm that had hit the Leaf Village a few days ago was now approaching overhead, and the sky began to grey.

Aoba reached the area first, using _Kuchiyose: Sanzengarasu _to distract the white-haired scythe-wielding one, while Teana leapt in, Longsword Mode blazing, and the tall one barely avoided being cut down, his surprised pupiless-green-with-red-sclera eyes meeting Teana's _Sharingan _in the split-second before he leapt away, releasing the three shinobi – Izumo, Kotetsu, and Shikamaru – he'd had strung up. Under cover of crows, Chōji leapt down to Shikamaru and got him up to the roof, while Ahsoka grabbed the wounded Asuma and carried him up. With the team extracted, Aoba dispersed his summoned corvids, staring down the two Akatsuki members.

"He still has a heartbeat!" Shikamaru shouted, turning away from the prone Asuma and turning to the rest of the group. "It's faint, but it's still there! Chōji, you need to get him back to the Leaf Village immediately! Ino, go with them and use your medical _ninjutsu _to do as much as you can!"

"I'm not giving up my bounty" said the taller Akatsuki member in a controlled, very deep voice as he leapt up onto the roof, standing before the Leaf team. Aoba and the new guy – identified by Kotetsu as 'Kakuzu' – exchanged a few blows, before suddenly a voice rang out.

"_Kakuzu. Hidan. It is time._"

"Seriously?" Hidan said to seemingly no-one. "But we're right at the best part!"

A shadowy, wavering figure faded into view in the middle of the dirt path, like a hologram. Kakuzu disengaged and leapt down to stand next to Hidan, and the hologram-like figure turned to face them both.

"_It's time to seal the Two-Tails_" the figure said, his voice distorted. "_That takes priority. Return immediately._"

"Astral projection…" Ahsoka whispered, a little awed.

"Is this… their leader?" Aoba wondered aloud.

"C'mon!" Hidan said. "All I'm asking for is, like, another minute!"

"Knock it off, Hidan" Kakuzu said. Hidan then turned to the Leaf team. "We'll be right back, so make sure you're ready!"

"…_Heh. You two really test my patience. In case you forgot, Jashinist, the sealing ritual took 60 hours last time, and now with Sasori dead it will take at least 72; whatever business you have here will have to wait until after then. Come __now__._"

With that, the projection faded. Kakuzu bent over, picking up Hidan's forehead protector. "Let's go, Hidan."

"Fucking leader…" Hidan muttered. "Next time, I'm cursing _him_!" With that, the two red-cloaked figures disappeared in a whorl of smoke. Overhead, the storm clouds obscured the light of the Sun.

The group immediately tried to tend to Asuma, but as they determined the severity of his wounds, they realized that they didn't have the medical tech or med-_jutsu _skills on hand to treat such grievous injuries, or even to keep him alive long enough to reach help.

Asuma was dying, and all anyone could do was listen to his final words to his students, followed by Ino's heartbroken wail as the rain finally began to fall…

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Leaf Village Cemetery**

**Next Day**

"Present arms!"

The 3-Volley Salute echoed throughout much of the village. Dozens stood, clad in black and grey, as the coffin was lowered. People began to file forward, one at a time, each placing a single white rose near the gravestone. A troupe of Sangheili sung a sorrowful, hauntingly beautiful wordless hymn for the soul of the departed that further touched the hearts of those who weren't too absorbed in their own sorrow to hear it. Teana silently berated herself for failing yet again to save a comrade's life. And on a rooftop half a kilometer away, a 16-year-old boy, thin with black hair, gazed up at the grey-clouds that filled the sky, a silver cigarette lighter clasped in his hand.

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Outer Edge of the Petrified Forest**

**Two Days Later**

Mai dodged and weaved, as Hidan's triple-scythe missed her by centimeters. She had gone ahead in order to lure the Akatsuki duo farther into the dead forest, where Kakashi, Zhal, and Asuma's old team had prepared their ambush. Even though she was, for all intents and purposes, immortal, she had still been taking extensive training in evasion, and it was paying off here. She lured the ax-crazy Hidan farther into the forest, goading him on, as Kakuzu leisurely followed. As she neared the ambush spot, she felt a sharp pain as the scythe nicked her arm. Hidan grinned evilly and licked up the bit of blood on his scythe-tip, and then used his own blood from Mai's knife strikes to draw his circle. He stepped in and immediately stabbed himself through the heart. Mai felt the pain and fell to her knees.

Hidan's following evil laugh was interrupted by a blast of raw chakra, and he looked on in complete shock as the hole in Mai's chest and heart sealed itself up completely within seconds.

"How the- when did- wha- WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?!"

"That level of regeneration…" Kakuzu said, "She must be a _Jinchūriki _of one of the higher-tails beasts. But the records don't mention any teen female hosts."

"I'm a Type-2" Mai replied; though Hidan cocked his head in confusion, Kakuzu recognized the term and quickly explained it to his impulsive young partner. "For which one?"

"The Eight-Tails, but that's not where the regeneration comes from. All my life, I've had extraordinary healing powers. Even before they got a recent boost, back when I was a torture-sex slave, I could survive things like disembowelment or decapitation. Now that my powers have been supercharged, you'd have to disrupt my body on an atomic level to actually kill me. I'm even more immortal than you are, ya crazy bastard."

"…Wait. Torture-sex slave?"

"I don't wanna talk about it. And, no, it was not voluntary."

"…That's fucked up. Even _I _wouldn't go _that _low. If I meet your old owner, I'll-"

Any further discussion was halted by the first strike of Shikamaru's ambush.

"Good job, Mai!" Shikamaru shouted from up high, and the girl grinned.

"You scheming little bitch!"

Mai stuck her tongue out at Hidan.

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Same area**

**About 35 minutes later**

Kakuzu realized that he may have underestimated these shinobi. Not power-wise, of course, but in intelligence and capabilities. Already the Nara Clan boy had pulled Hidan away, to face the boy in a one-on-one match to avenge his master. An admirable motivation, but a doomed one; Hidan would almost-assuredly ensure that the boy never got his vengeance. The two other former students of Kakuzu's missed bounty weren't much more of a threat, but the three others fighting him proved a bit more formidable.

Kakashi Hatake lived up to his reputation in spades, having given Kakuzu quite a workout. The Type-2 _Jinchūriki _wasn't exactly top-notch in raw power, but she had quickly proved to be quite the annoyance, and any blow was rendered ineffective by her extremely potent regeneration. And the alien, who had earlier proved the hard way to Hidan that the crazy scythe-wielder's ritual only worked on humans (the alien had simply stared and laughed as Hidan stabbed himself after consuming the being's violet blood, leaving Hidan screaming in impotent rage), was extraordinarily strong physically. What's more, the strength seemed to be natural; the flow of chakra through the alien's muscles was miniscule, nowhere near enough to account for the same level of strength in a human. Also, the alien's blade of superheated plasma was quite lethal, and several times Kakuzu had narrowly avoided surprisingly swift strikes at his heart(s), the sapient saurian moving with a speed unbecoming of his apparent mass. What's more, this alien was an experienced warrior – according to a boast, his species had an approximate 300-year lifespan, and so he'd literally been alive and fighting since decades before Kakuzu was even born.

All the same, his quintet of foes was running low on stamina and on options. His Wind Mask and Fire Mask had merged and were keeping the Yamanaka and the Akimichi busy, his Lightning Mask was keeping the alien and the regenerator occupied, and he now had Hatake pinned, ready to rip the young man's heart out to replace the one he'd destroyed. Suddenly, he felt a horrible pain in his chest. It didn't take long to figure out what had just happened. But how?

"When I impaled you with my _Raikiri_," Kakashi said, "I did more than just take out one of your hearts. I also took a little of your blood. When I palmed something to Shikamaru, I handed him a capsule with some of your blood in it. And now, his plan to trick Hidan into taking out one of _your _hearts instead of Shikamaru's has succeeded. Most likely, right now Shikamaru has Hidan literally covered in explosive tags, ready to blow the guy into so many pieces there's no way even you'll be able to stitch him back together."

As Kakuzu lost consciousness and the team ran over, helping him dislodge the threads partially embedded in his chest, the three mask-beasts suddenly charged at them… and flew right past them, merging with Kakuzu's prone body. And the nigh-immortal shinobi stood back up. And he was _pissed_.

Kakuzu underwent a startling transformation, the Wind and Fire Masks coming out just above either shoulder as threads extended from his body. "I've changed my mind!" he shouted. "Instead of harvesting your organs, I'll just burn you all to ashes!"

The team, too exhausted to get out of the way, prepared to brace themselves as the Wind/Fire Combo attack charged up. The attack fired, a massive focused tornado of flame.

"_Gufū Suika no Jutsu!_"

A huge column of water and wind sprang to existence between them and the roaring flame-twister, canceling out the mighty technique in a cloud of spinning steam. When the smoke cleared, seven new figures stood.

"Sorry we're late."

Soon, Sakura, Sai, & Shion ran off to support Shikamaru; Teana, Hinata, and Yamato took position with the others; and Naruto stepped forward, calling forth three Shadow Clones. As one stood guard, the other two gathered around his outstretched right hand, getting to work on spinning up the enormous amounts of chakra required. A high-pitched ringing screech soon filled the air, as a whirlwind built up around Naruto and his Shadow Clones. Teana and Hinata, their eyes active, watched in awe, having not been present for Naruto's most recent tests immediately preceding the current engagement, marveling at the sheer amount of raw, turbulent chakra hovering over Naruto's hand, forming into a whirling, four-pointed, curved-bladed _fūma _shuriken with a white Rasengan at the center.

'What is that jutsu?' Kakuzu wondered. 'I can't get hit with that, or I'm dead!'

"_Fūton: Rasenshuriken!_"

Naruto and his three clones moved forward, the main Naruto holding the spinning death. Chōji tried to run forward as backup, only for Yamato to stop him, saying he'd only get caught in the blast.

"…So this is the _Kyūbi no Yōko no Jinchūriki_'s power" Kakuzu muttered. "How fitting… a monstrously powerful attack for a monster."

The three Shadow Clones drew kunai. The first leapt up, aiming for a downward piercing strike, only for Kakuzu to lash out with a thread-tentacle. The other two Clones tried to flank him, only to be blasted by his Wind and Fire Masks. As the smoke cleared, the main Naruto blew through from behind. Kakuzu turned around, but couldn't get out of the way in time.

"Shit!"

Unfortunately, just as Naruto's attack came within a dozen centimeters of its target, it fizzled out. He'd been unable to keep it formed for long enough, and had failed to strike his target within the time limit. As Kakuzu's threads and right arm lashed out and grabbed hold of Naruto, Yamato's Wood Spear technique distracted the old shinobi, allowing Teana to dash in and use Mirage Longsword to cleave through the threads, while Kakashi leapt in and pulled Naruto to safety. Yamato sent more Wood Spears, but Kakuzu managed to narrowly dodge them.

"Aw, damn it!" Naruto grumbled.

"Acting tough only to screw up…" Ino said. "How like you."

"Since it was a huge shuriken," Chōji said, "I thought you'd be throwing it. Do you really have to smack him with it up close?"

"Hey, if I had hit him there'd be nothing left of him!"

"It may be called 'shuriken'," Yamato said, "but it's a melee attack. Naruto-kun hasn't had quite enough training with it yet, it seems."

"If it had only lasted a few seconds longer…" Kakashi said.

"It'll never work now" Chōji said. "Not against this guy."

'That _Kyūbi _kid's technique…' Kakuzu thought. 'It looked pretty dangerous, but I'll be fine if I keep my distance. As long as I avoid close-range combat and stay focused on the original body using the technique, I have nothing to fear.'

"…Let me try one more time."

"You're going up against an Akatsuki! This guy won't fall for the same trick twice. We need to take him on all at once."

"Agreed" Kakashi said. "There's no need to cross such a dangerous bridge. If things get too dicey, Teana or I can use the _Mangekyō_."

"…Kakashi-sensei. Do you remember what I told you when we were training? '…The only shinobi who can surpass the 4th Hokage is you. That is what I believe'."

"Naruto…"

"I know that teamwork is important. I also know that this is a dangerous bridge to cross. Even so, I… I want to cross that bridge alone. If I can't make it to the other side, I'll never be able to grow up. …So… please… don't burn that bridge just yet."

"…Yamato, what do you think?"

"Heh. You still haven't noticed, huh? This is a completely new Naruto."

Overhead, leaves blew in the wind, casting tiny, fleeting shadows on the battlefield.

"…That settles it, then."

As Naruto stepped forward and gathered himself, there was a whorl of black 'smoke' to the left of the group. From it emerged Shion, Sakura, Sai, and Shikamaru.

"What'd we miss?" Shion asked her leader.

"The show's kind of already started," Teana replied, "but the climactic final act – the part of the fight worth seeing - is just about to begin. Naruto, shred him!"

Naruto stepped forward, tightening his headband.

'They're sending that brat in again? Better switch to long-range mode, just to be on the safe side.'

With that, Kakuzu underwent yet another transformation; the threads binding his jaws loosened further, as more long tendrils came out from them. The threads from his back extended, forming a web-like structure. His headband/bandanna came loose, revealing shaggy brown hair, as his hands reattached to his arms.

"Alert: 45% increase in target's chakra output" Mirage announced. "He is now operating at full strength."

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

The three clones formed again, two working to form the deadly technique. With the shuriken of energy complete, the quartet of Narutos charged Kakuzu, the one wielding the attack bringing up the rear once again. Kakuzu ran forward… and leapt into the air, extending his threads and gliding clear over the three Narutos in front, heading for the one carrying the _Rasenshuriken_.

'I can ignore the distraction Shadow Clones coming from behind me. I just need to focus on the original. If I can eliminate his technique, there's nothing else to worry about.'

He struck, launching 'spears' of tendrils at Naruto, smashing him into the ground. The _Rasenshuriken _dissipated in the form of a strong gust of wind. The watchers looked on in horror… except Hinata, Teana, and Kakashi, who, with their bloodline eyes, spotted the _real _Naruto 'flying' in behind Kakuzu, who noticed the impending doom but was rooted to the ground by his tendrils, unable to get out of the way.

"Oh, son of a bi-"

The _Rasenshuriken _smashed dead-on into Kakuzu's back, detaching from Naruto's 'grip' and propelling Kakuzu forward as it began to tear into him. After a dozen-meter flight, it detonated, forming a sphere of whirling white energy at least 30 meters across that gouged a crater into the ground beneath it. The team rooted themselves to the ground with chakra and shielded their eyes as the gale-force wind hit them, as Naruto hit the ground.

Inside the sphere, hundreds of billions of microscopic blades of wind chakra worked to systematically destroy Kakuzu's body, cutting into cells and tearing them apart. Kakuzu's two spare hearts quickly succumbed, being ripped apart on a cellular level. After the sphere finally dissipated, Kakuzu's body, bloodied and with several large chunks missing, fell to the ground, landing in the center of the huge crater left by the technique.

"Ho-ly _crap_…" Shion muttered.

"So many cuts…" Teana murmured. "Even my _Mangekyō _couldn't keep track after three seconds of that…"

"Naruto… you've done it… you've really…"

In the dirt behind them, an exhausted Naruto picked his head up, grinned, and gave a thumbs-up.

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Eight days later**

**Near Land of Fire / Land of Rivers Border**

Teana waited in the forest clearing, keeping a constant watch around her as she sat on a boulder that she'd carved into a chair. Through the meager intelligence network she'd spun off of Jiraiya's formidable one, she'd received word that a contact would meet her here, to reveal intel on the culprits behind the loss of her family. She'd discreetly pulled Ahsoka aside and had the girl confirm through the Force that this was the real deal, with no double-crosses or ambushes planned, and had then set out for the meeting place shortly before a team consisting of Team 8 (minus the pregnant Kurenai), Kakashi, Shion, and Mai set out to capture the host-less 3-Tailed Daemon. She had been sitting here for 20 minutes already, listening to the bird-songs from the trees around her. She stood up, stretching a few kinks out of her legs, and suddenly she heard a voice from nearby – _very _nearby.

"So you're Aunt Sayuri's daughter…"

She spun around, the currently-inactive Mirage Longsword in her hand and pointed out. Only a meter from her stood a young man in an Akatsuki robe, with black hair kept in a tight low ponytail, his grey eyes meeting her blue ones, sitting below a headband with a scratched-through symbol of _Konohagakure_.

Itachi Uchiha.

_**-CHAPTER END-**_

Yes, that cut-off at the end is deliberate; the meeting between the two will be shown in a flashback at the end of this Book.


	3. The Coming Storm Arrives

Insert small witty thing here

I tried to find a place to watch Ep. 139 for exactness in the "fight" against Tobi without being swamped by viruses/spyware/bad things, but could not, so the 'fight' here is based solely on memory.

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

**Outer northeast area of the Land of Fire**

**Six days after the end of the (failed) 3-Tails mission**

All across the sector, the Uchiha Tracker team combed the area for either Sasuke or Itachi (the latter could be used to find the former). They'd all learned of Sasuke's killing of Orochimaru, and how their wayward Uchiha had now gathered a team to track down and kill Itachi. Team 7, Team 8, Kakashi, Yamato, Teana, Marie, Ahsoka, and the Spec-Ops Sangheili Yaros Endarl scoured the area, looking for any trace of the boy or his elder brother. The area had hundreds of civilians, rendering Ahsoka's still-unrefined chakra-sensing abilities useless for anything other than humongous flares of power and leaving everyone to search the old-fashioned way with the help of Kakashi's hounds.

("This is my Ultimate Art. Now… I will detonate myself!")

The search had been going on for quite some time, but seemed to have hit a dead end.

("With death, I will become art! This never-before-seen explosion will leave a never-before-seen scar upon this land!")

Teana and Sakura walked the slightly crowded streets, looking for even the slightest of clues.

("And then, my art will earn never-before-seen recognition!")

Yaros and Shino strolled across the surface of a lake, the former's above-human senses and the latter's _Kikaichū _scanning the area.

("In the midst of my admiration, you will die!")

Naruto's Shadow Clones – a dozen in all – patrolled the area around the original, who stood with Hinata and Yamato, the former using her Byakugan to scan the distance.

("An explosion that will level everything within 10 kilometers… there's no escape for you!")

Sai's ink-mice scurried throughout the trees and underbrush, trying to sniff out Sasuke or his team, to no avail.

("Now, be amazed! Be in awe! Be in despair! Cry out in _fear_!")

Kiba and Akamaru pushed their super-powerful sense of smell to the limit, trying to find even the slightest scent trail.

("For my art…")

Kakashi, Marie, and Pakkun stopped as Ahsoka suddenly turned to look west, as she suddenly sensed a large power signature growing at an alarming rate.

("…IS A BLAST!~!~!")

The entire search team took notice as the titanic 'three-armed' explosion made itself known, and the ground began to tremble, accompanying a strong gust of wind – the tree-flattening shockwave, weakened by distance. Civilians stared in awe as the blast consumed nearly all of a distant forest.

"I don't recognize that chakra signature…" Ahsoka muttered.

"I do" Kakashi replied. "But… the Akatsuki member, Deidara… I thought he was dead…"

The teams immediately made haste for the site, as the explosion abruptly faded, leaving a humongous mushroom cloud rising into the sky. Several minutes later, they reached the outer edge of the crater, beholding the scene of total devastation. A quick scan determined that it had indeed been Deidara, who had blown himself up – this time for real – to the tune of six megatons.

"I've got a trace of Sasuke's scent…" Kiba said, "from inside the crater."

"Is he…"

"No" Pakkun cut in. "It's very faint, but I can sense the slight lingering energy signature of a Summoning… actually, a _Reverse _Summoning. Sasuke was here, all right, and he must've reverse-summoned himself away at the last split-second before the blast engulfed him."

"But where is he now?" Naruto asked.

"…I've got the scent. We'll have to be careful, though. Let's move!"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Next Day**

They had almost reached Sasuke. They could _feel _it. And this hyperactive goofball/jackass was in their way.

"A-whoops! Missed me again!"

This mystery man, clad in an Akatsuki robe and wearing a swirl-pattern orange mask had been nonviolently running circles around them all since he showed up. He had somehow dodged their attacks… that is, that's what they first thought. Careful analysis, Shino's bugs, and Hinata's Byakugan had confirmed that he was somehow _phasing through _the team's attacks, and could teleport, apparently.

"_Really _gettin' sick of this fucker…" Marie growled, having just watched a barrage of shots from Charon pass through thin air that had less than half a second earlier been occupied by the masked Akatsuki. An analysis by Cross Mirage showed that magic-based attacks could hit him, ignoring his phasing ability… but his teleportation rendered those ineffective as well. Now the man stood atop a thick tree limb high over the ground, looking down at the group.

Suddenly, something began to stir on the tree limb, next to the man. A bizarre, dark-green thing emerged from the tree, looking vaguely like some carnivorous plant… wearing an Akatsuki robe. The 'leaves' opened, showing what looked like a man who was completely white on one half and completely pitch-black on the other, with glowing yellow eyes.

"How'd it go?" the masked man asked.

"_It's over_" the black half said in a raspy voice.

"Oh God, not _another _one!" Naruto said.

"Sasuke won" the white half said, his voice higher and smoother than the black half's. "Itachi Uchiha is dead."

The group stared in shock as this single statement registered with them. Unnoticed by the others, Teana's hand clutched at her heart.

"Wow!" the masked one said, his annoyingly chirpy voice squeaking slightly. "Unbelievable! …or not."

And then his voice changed completely, becoming deep and foreboding.

"It's just as I thought…"

"S-Sasuke-kun… killed Itachi?" Sakura whispered.

"Sasuke-kun's down, too" the white half said. "He's so badly injured, and his chakra is so low, that he's barely alive."

"Oy, aloe-vera!" Naruto shouted. "Where the hell is Sasuke?~!"

"What did you call me?~!" "_Ignore him, Shiro_." "But Kuro…" "_I know. But now's not the time_."

Kakashi then looked closer at the masked man, his eye zooming in… and gasped in shock and horror.

"I'll finish my fight with you children some other time" the masked man said, as from the eye-hole of his mask peeked out a red eye with three comma marks.

"A Sharingan!"

Everyone heard Kakashi's sudden proclamation and looked closer… and were deeply shocked upon noticing the familiar eye looking out from inside the mask. Teana's Sharingan activated, staring at the lone visible eye. Upon noticing the girl and her eyes, the masked man's visible eye showed very visible surprise, before narrowing.

"So…" he muttered. "Sayuri managed to hide something from me after all…"

As Zetsu folded up and disappeared into the tree, the masked man said "Farewell" and seemingly sucked himself through a portal emanating from his eye, disappearing. After several seconds, Kakashi took off running.

"We have to find Sasuke before _they _do!" he shouted as he leapt to the top of the tallest tree in the immediate area. In the distance, he noticed a huge storm cloud.

"Hinata!" he shouted. "Check your 4-o-clock!"

"_H-hai!_"

Hinata's eyes activated, and soon enough she spotted a roiling inferno.

"I can see a huge amount of chakra spread out over a large area about 10 kilometers southwest. And, the forest is on fire… with black flames…"

'_Amaterasu?_' "Everyone, follow me!"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Devastated Uchiha Hideout**

**25 minutes later**

"Kiba?"

"…Nothing. They were here, and this spot by the rock has some of Itachi's blood, along with Sasuke's scent, but they're gone."

"…_Fuck…_" Naruto's fists clenched so tight that his nails almost broke the skin. "Too late…. _Again _we're too late…"

After several minutes, Kakashi finally spoke up.

"…Let's go home. There's nothing else we can do right now but return to Konoha."

Dejectedly, the team moved out.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Gates of **_**Konohagakure**_

**Four days later**

Naruto walked towards the center of town, being greeted by the guards. Days earlier, most of the team had gone directly home, while he, Sakura, Shion, and Kakashi had an interesting detour involving the 6-Tails' Host – a young man named Utakata – and his unofficial self-proclaimed student Hotaru. They had promptly hurried home once that business was wrapped up, and had taken the rest of that day off. Now, late in the next/current day as he walked through the evening streets, he heard a voice.

"Naruto-kun"

He turned, and saw Ibiki Morino, the scary head of the ANBU Interrogation Unit. "The Hokage wants to see you. The rest of your team is already in her office."

"I already know. Kakashi-sensei informed me."

"Ah; sorry for wasting your time, then."

Naruto hurried along to the Hokage's Office. He spotted Gamabunta sitting next to the tower, with Gamakichi atop his head.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked them. "Did something happen?"

"Actually-"

"Gamakichi!" Gamabunta interrupted. "It's not your place to say anything! Leave it to Master Sage and Tsunade-san."

Naruto headed up to Tsunade's office. There, besides Tsunade & Shizune he found Kakashi, Sakura, Sai, Teana, Shion, 'Arum, and four toad-summons, the smallest and oldest-looking of them clad in a brown robe. After several seconds, the old toad spoke.

"He is Jiraiya-chan's student?"

"Yes" Tsunade responded. "This is Naruto Uzumaki… The 'Child of Prophecy' you mentioned."

"Geezer frog…" Naruto questioned. "The hell is this?"

"Watch your mouth, Naruto! This is Fukasaku-sama, one of the two Great Sages of Mt. Myōboku. He came all the way here to speak with you."

"Well, to be more accurate, I am a Great Toad Sage. But that is unimportant at the moment. …Without a doubt, you are Jiraiya-chan's student."

"Jiraiya-chan?" Naruto said. "'-chan'?~! You talk like _ero-sennin _were a kid! Who does this geezer-frog think he is?~!"

"I said to watch your mouth, boy!" Tsunade snapped.

"This great man is the one who taught _senjutsu _to Jiraiya-sama" Shizune explained. "He is Jiraiya-sama's master."

Fukasaku started laughing. "_Ero_-_sennin_, huh? I've never heard a more fitting nickname for Jiraiya-chan."

"So… what does Geezer-Sage (_jiji-sennin_) want with me?"

Fukasaku lowered his head. "I'm not sure where to begin. But… the most important message is… Jiraiya-chan has been killed in battle."

"…Huh?"

Kakashi's visible eye was closed. Teana's eyes couldn't be seen, her head bowed low and her hair obscuring them. Even with the difference in species, the grim look in Zhal's eyes was all too clear.

"…What… are you saying…?"

"I know this is sudden. I don't blame you if you don't believe me. …For quite some time, there have been rumors that the leader of Akatsuki – well, their original founder and _public _leader, if Teana-chan is right - was in Amegakure. Jiraiya-chan went in person to verify these rumors."

"Amegakure?"

"As I recall," Sai said, "that village is notoriously difficult to infiltrate – near-completely closed to the outside world."

"Yes…" Kakashi said, "but Jiraiya-sama is… _was _extraordinarily skilled in infiltration and espionage."

"Exactly…" Fukasaku continued, remembering Jiraiya's final mission. "Jiraiya-chan came upon the Akatsuki's founder and leader: a man named Pain. However… Pain was Jiraiya-chan's former student. He called Pain "Nagato"."

"Nagato…" Tsunade muttered. "That takes me back. During the chaos of the Second Great War, Jiraiya looked after a trio of orphans from Amegakure, which had become a devastated battlefield. Who would've imagined that those kids…"

"However…" Kakashi cut in, "to corner a shinobi like Jiraiya-sama… how did Pain…"

"He possesses the Rinnegan."

Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi, Sai, and Teana gasped. "What did you just say?~!" Kakashi whispered, his tone equal parts shock and horror.

"…Rinnegan?" Sakura questioned, turning to Shizune.

"The Rinnegan is a _dōjutsu _that was said to be possessed by the father of all ninja, the _Rikudo Sennin_, or Six-Paths Sage. I… I thought it was just legend."

"The legendary _dōjutsu_…" Fukasaku said, "the Rinnegan… its power was beyond imagination. Not only that…"

He telepathically projected a terrifying image to everyone present.

"There were _six _Rinnegan-users?" Kakashi said in astonishment. "How can that even be possible?"

"Perhaps there's a trick to it" the old Sage continued. "Most likely, only Jiraiya-chan, who was there, puzzled out their secret. But… things went from bad to horribly worse. …Even after his throat was crushed in by Pain, Jiraiya-chan left a message before dying."

He reached back and pulled free his cloak, turning around to reveal a sequence of numbers singed into his back. He turned back around, re-donning his cloak.

"I'm sure he did this to prevent Pain from noticing. I have now told you everything about Jiraiya-chan's final mission."

"I wonder what he was trying to tell us" Tsunade muttered. "If we decode this, we'll understand?"

"Did you… let him go there, _baa-chan_?"

"…Yes."

"Why would you allow him to do something so reckless? You knew _ero-sennin _better than anyone! How could you send him there alone?~!"

"Because his mind was already made up on going!" Tsunade snapped. "I tried to talk him out of it, but when that man had his mind set on something, it was impossible to stop him!"

"…Damn it all…"

"Naruto, where are you going?~!"

"…If _Ero-sennin _had been Hokage, he'd never have let Tsunade take such a risk… Never!"

And he was gone.

"Naruto!"

"Sakura… it's all right. Let him be."

Kakashi turned to the Sage. "My apologies, Fukasaku-sama."

"No, it's all right. About the Child of Prophecy I mentioned earlier… I can see that boy truly loved and admired Jiraiya-chan. …For now, let him grieve. …I can only hope that he is the Chosen One… Now, about the leads Jiraiya-chan left us with… Inside the belly of the toad to my right is a captured Amegakure shinobi. And… _Kuchiyose no Jutsu_!"

From a cloud of smoke emerged a red gourd-shaped toad.

"Inside this one, you will find one of the two Pain bodies that Jiraiya-chan managed to kill."

"Pain's?~!"

"Two?"

"The other body, which he managed to kill after I escaped, was completely destroyed by Jiraiya-chan's final attack. I saw it through clairvoyance during my escape…"

**-**_**FLASHBACK**_**-**

Pain turned around as he heard a splash, and noticed that the summoned frog had disappeared… and that Jiraiya was somehow pulling himself back up onto his feet. 'His body should be shredded… is he literally moving his body through mental power and will?'

"You've done enough, Jiraiya-sensei" The five bodies leapt down onto the large stone platform that Jiraiya was now standing shakily on, running toward him. "Give up!"

"Give up?" Jiraiya tapped into everything he had, completely draining his Linker Core and converting every last ounce of his cells' life energy into chakra.

"_You _give up…"

He held his remaining arm back, and a _tremendous_ Rasengan, larger even than the _Chō Ōdama Rasengan_, formed.

"…on making me…"

The bodies neared, the Human Path leading the charge and readying its blade.

"…_GIIIVE UUUUUP! ! ! !_"

The energy sphere smashed dead-on into the Human Path, catching it in the full force of the destructive power. The other four Pains leapt away as the attack expanded massively, enveloping the Human Path completely in the sphere of destruction, as Jiraiya pushed it into the corpse-puppet. The attack detonated, destroying the rocky platform and completely obliterating the Human Path, the shockwave tossing the dying Jiraiya into the sea.

**-**_**END FLASHBACK**_**-**

A few of the others stared in shock as Fukasaku completed his recap. Zhal clenched a hand to his chest and bowed his head. 'To literally fight his way back from death, albeit only for a few moments, through sheer willpower, and to make such an impact with his final act… truly a worthy and most honorable end…'

"…Follow me to the autopsy room at the hospital" Shizune said. "You can deposit the Pain body there."

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Leaf Village Gate**

**Two days later**

"We leave Naruto-kun in your hands, Fukasaku-sama" Tsunade said as she bowed to the Sage.

"Don't worry, Tsunade-chan. We'll make a proper Sage out of Naruto-chan. Just you wait!"

With a puff of smoke, Fukasaku and his mount disappeared, bound for Mt. Myōboku. Less than a minute later, the _Starshot _soared overhead, bound for Sunagakure to set up a formal alliance; Gamma Team and three platoons of soldiers would remain at Konohagakure.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

**Five days later**

The village was peaceful and calm. Civilians and off-duty shinobi mulled about, enjoying life, as the sun shined down on them.

Five seconds later, the calm was shattered when a small female figure, clad in an Akatsuki robe, fell from the sky and summoned five other similarly-robed individuals.

And all Hell broke loose.

**-**_**CHAPTER END**_**-**


	4. Hell

Shit, meet fan.

**-**_**CHAPTER START**_**-**

_**Konohagakure no Sato**_

The city burned. Civilians fled toward shelters; some didn't make it. Dozens of shinobi and soldiers fought against and, in many cases, died at the hands of the seven invading shinobi or at the claws/fangs of the Rinnegan-possessing summons. Everywhere the seven invaders went, they asked every Leaf shinobi they found one question: where was Naruto Uzumaki?

They were met with the same response every time: "Naruto Uzumaki is a comrade of the Leaf Village. I'm not telling you _anything_."

Marie snarled as Charon's energy blade locked with the Preta Path's black chakra disruption blade. The Preta Path's energy-absorption ability only worked with chakra, not magic, but it was still a fearsome fighter. She bit back a virulent curse as Charon telepathically informed her that Kakashi's vitals had flat-lined, his chakra at absolute zero. She lashed out with a kick at the tubby body's kneecap, but it jumped away, choosing to sacrifice a chance to harm her in order to avoid damage.

'Where the hell is the Boss when you need her?' Marie thought, remembering how Teana had set out on a solo mission a day and a half earlier and was presently far outside the Leaf Village's boundaries; her attempts to contact Teana had been thwarted, as the enemy had apparently enough knowledge of magic to disrupt telepathy within the village. She checked her cartridge supply: six left.

Marie was preparing to load another three cartridges when the Deva Path appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, directly in front of her.

"_Shinra Tensei_."

There was a feeling of wind, a horrible crunching sound, and everything went black.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

In a forest 9 ½ kilometers outside the Leaf Village, a team of four shinobi – a black-haired young man, a spiky-orange-haired "child", a white-haired boy in a violet outfit and carrying a humongous sword, and a red-haired glasses-clad girl, all four in Akatsuki robes – came to a halt in a clearing. In front of them stood a single red-orange-haired girl, clad in a stylized/customized Leaf Village _Chūnin _uniform.

"So we finally meet face-to-face, Sasuke-kun" she spoke, her blue eyes staring into his grey ones.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked, almost-imperceptibly reaching for his sword.

In response, the opened her eyes, and the quartet stared in surprise at the fully-developed Sharingan.

"I am Teana Uchiha-Lanstar, daughter of your father's deceased sister Sayuri Uchiha-Lanstar. I am your cousin, Sasuke. And on behalf of the village of my mother's birth, I'm taking you in – in piece or in pieces."

Mirage Longsword sprang to life, the meter-long orange blade of superheated energy crackling audibly for the first second or so after its activation. Sasuke stared for several seconds, before his Sharingan flared to life and his sword was drawn, crackling with lighting chakra.

"_Another traitor to the will of the clan…_" he growled, his tone actually frightening Karin a little. He flash-stepped forward, and to his surprise Teana reacted in time, her energy blade blocking his strike with practiced ease, her eyes glaring at him from less than a foot away. Both leapt back and simultaneously performed hand seals and called out:

"_Katon: Hōsenka_!"

Several small fireballs shot forth at high speed; each one impacted one of the other fighter's, the attacks cancelling each other out completely. They locked eyes, and then charged each other again.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Ahsoka, Shizune, Ino, Inoichi, and the ANBU Captain kneeled, panting for breath, tired out by their narrow escape (each of them accompanied by a mini-Katsuyu).

"There are six Pains," Shizune recapped, "each one can only use one type of _jutsu_. The girl used _Kuchiyose_. That means that the Pain that Jiraiya-sama killed and sent back to us was resurrected in a different body."

"And there's no mistake…" Inoichi said. "That woman was transported to Amegakure's tower as a corpse."

"Did the woman's corpse have any of these embedded in her?" Shizune held up the chakra-sensitive black rod.

"No. I'm positive that she didn't."

"This proves that Fukasaku-sama was right. Pain has the power to reanimate the dead. Furthermore, he is able to substitute bodies as often as he needs to, and controls them by planting these black chakra receivers."

"Then the six Pains are…" Ino said.

"Corpse puppets" Ahsoka finished.

"And if they have receivers," Shizune continued, "they must also have transmitters."

"So some hidden person is sending chakra signals to manipulate them" Inoichi said.

"Yes. The coded message left to us by Jiraiya-sama… 'The real one is not among them'… perhaps _none _of the Six Paths of Pain are the real Pain."

"You mean… there's a seventh, controlling them all?"

"Yes."

"And that someone must possess considerable power, and a very large amount of chakra" the ANBU Captain said. "To control this many bodies with this much versatility, using only their chakra.

"It's similar to the _Shintenshin no Jutsu _of our clan. But normally, one can only manipulate a single person with chakra. There are six Pains. Does this mean there are six people out there… or are they all being controlled by the same extremely powerful person?"

"In any case," Ino said, "if it's like the _Shintenshin_, he has to be pretty close to the receivers in order to transmit chakra. Otherwise, it would be impossible to pull off the powerful techniques and the fine control we've seen."

"So he's probably hidden somewhere near the Village…" Ahsoka muttered.

"We need to notify Tsunade-sama immediately," Shizune said, "and organize a search party to find the True Pain."

The group suddenly jumped in surprise as one of the Pains landed in the middle of them, its short orange hair spiked out to the side.

'How the hell did we not notice him? !'

There was an explosion as a smoke bomb detonated, and four figures leapt back out of it. They looked up, spotting the Pain atop a nearby roof… with his glowing hand placed on Shizune's head.

"Don't move…" he said, "or this woman gets her head twisted off. …Mount Myōboku…"

"Shit! He's a telepath!"

In the seconds before Human Path ripped Shizune's soul out of her body, killing her instantly, Ahsoka stared at him, feeling that she'd seen him somewhere before. And then it hit her. The images from the records… and from Teana's old photograph.

Ahsoka realized, with horror, that the current Human Path of Pain, standing before her, was the altered, reanimated corpse of Tiida Uchiha-Lanstar.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Mai Kitagawa was nearing her breaking point. With her helping to guard Tsunade-sama, she'd had to listen to the reports as good men & women gave their lives in failed attempts to stop the sextet of juggernauts rampaging through the city, methodically attacking and killing soldiers & civilians alike. Then the Deva Path, the head Pain, had shown up on the rooftop with them. After a short but quite hostile conversation, Pain had suddenly, inexplicably gained knowledge of Naruto's location. As he prepared to leave, Tsunade's arguments and well-supported accusations of hypocrisy only serve to make the deranged demigod angry. Mai and one of the ANBU stepped forward as Pain prepared to fly off; Mai's self-restraint was on a razor's edge.

"And now… to vanquish this village; you who do not know pain."

_SNAP_

"…What did you just say?"

Pain arched an eyebrow as the light-brown-haired girl spoke in a shuddering whisper, as he suddenly felt a positively _enormous _killing intent radiating from her.

"Did you just imply… that I don't know _pain_?"

There was a sudden, humongous surge of chakra from Mai, as a dull-red aura surrounded her, taking the shape of a set of curved horns and three tails. He head rose, revealing a look of absolute, terrifying rage; her eyes glowed a dull pink, and her canine teeth had elongated into fangs. The building began to shake from her power, as the stone beneath her cracked and shuddered, a hot wind blowing forth from her position.

'That chakra…' Pain thought, partially shielding his eyes. 'The _Hachibi_! But how could… a Type-2!'

"You _dare _to say that I don't understand _pain_? ! I was born with advanced regeneration, and have spent most of my entire life up to recent as a _sex torture slave_, being carved up, eviscerated, burnt, dismembered, all while being _violated _and _defiled_, with pain and terror all I ever knew! I had to watch as my only friend was _killed _right before my eyes, and was tied to a post and _forced _to watch her body _rot_! I had the only boy I ever loved _taken _from me, and was ordered to never even _think of him _again! My unborn child – my _baby _– was ripped from my torso, _raped _before my eyes, and _stuck in a blender and poured out onto me! ! _I was born and raised in _Hell! ! _DON'T YOU _DARE _DECREE THAT I DO NOT KNOW _PAIN! ! !_"

Tsunade and the ANBU had gone pale in horror upon hearing of Mai's past. Pain, to much surprise, wore an expression of equal horror as his own imagination assailed him with absolutely horrid mental images. 'Such horror… even Hanzō would never have… This girl… her pain is greater than my own!'

Any further ruminations were cut short when Mai _moved_, and her fist was in Pain's face, and Pain was sent flying at well over 150 kilometers per hour, a completely berserk Mai in pursuit, showing a terrible, terrifying rage that no-one could have possibly foreseen. As he recovered his wits, he acted to defend himself, lashing out with a _Shinra Tensei_; Mai was sent flying by it, but shrugged it off and charged again. Pain used his gravitational abilities to shoot straight up into the air, quickly taking position high above the Village.

Konan, the other five Pains (including the heavily damaged Asura Path), and the Pain Summons disappeared, with the first-mentioned six appearing outside the village. The Pains keeled over, all of Nagato's chakra flowing into Deva Path. He knew that only one thing could stop the young woman's rampaging power, and it would also smite the hypocritical village at the same time. He gathered his power, focusing on the memory of Yahiko's pain.

"_Zenryoku… zenkai. …SHINRA TENSEI! ! !_"

The titanic shockwave smashed into the village's center like a super-sized Covenant gravity-hammer, having pretty much the same effect as one; the blast wave pulverized rock, stone, and bone wherever it hit, rapidly obliterating every structure in the entire city. The wave of debris smashed into the inside of the city walls, busting down the main gates.

In the midst of a field of debris, Sakura emerged from within a seven-foot-long Katsuyu, gasping for breath. She looked up… and beheld a sight straight out of Armageddon.

"Wh-what… how could this… Naruto… please, hurry… NARUTO! !"

A sudden burst of white smoke in the center of the crater. Three 100-meter-tall toad summons. A 10-foot-tall toad atop the central one. And standing atop him is a blond-haired young man, his orange and black outfit partially covered by a deep red longcoat with black flame pattern along the sleeves and bottom, a large scroll slung across his back, and orange-lidded rectangular-pupiled golden eyes.

The Hero of Konoha returns.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

"Again, I thank you for this, Lord Kazekage. Though we only have a few more days before we have to leave the planet, I assure you that when our organization eventually returns to this world, this alliance will prove to be a most fruitful-"

"Colonel!"

A messenger ran into the room aboard the _Starshot_, interrupting the discussion amongst the group. Col. Holland, Zhal, Gaara & his siblings, and the two Sand Village advisors turned to look at the disheveled, panicking man.

"What's wrong, Lieutenant?"

"The Leaf Village, sir! We sent an aerial probe droid to investigate large flares of chakra. The city is under full-scale attack! Multiple military and civilian casualties! It's the Akatsuki's leader and his Second!"

"What? ! Lord Kazekage, I'm afraid we're going to have to cut this meeting short. We need to provide assistance to the Leaf."

"Not alone" Gaara said. "We and the three platoons of Sand Shinobi currently aboard this vessel will accompany you. You may need my power."

"…Understood. Zhal?"

The white-armored Sangheili nodded, and then contacted his bridge crew. "Gentlemen, we have an emergency. Get us to Konohagakure at flank speed. Raise shields and ready ventral guns. The city is under attack; we are going to try and save it."

"_All Starshot personnel below, we have an emergency_" broadcasted from the destroyer's external speakers, for the two platoons of Allied soldiers and all Sand shinobi & civilians in the city below to hear."_Konoha is under full-scale attack. We are proceeding to the city at maximum safe speed to render immediate assistance; we don't have time to pick you up. The Kazekage has opted to accompany us and lend his abilities to the operation. We will return once the situation has been dealt with._"

Above Sunagakure, the 1600-meter vessel's rear engines glowed, and the ship took off at speed, rising to 2,500 feet and soaring across the sky, heading toward the plume of smoke already visible in the distance.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Sasuke and Teana's attacks were a whirl of blades, clashing with one another at insane speed. They broke apart, Sasuke panting for breath. He still hadn't fully recovered from fighting – in short duration from each other – Deidara, Itachi, and Killer-Bee, and thus the girl actually had the upper hand. Barely. Teana's four Shadow Clones stood guard, ensuring that the other three members of Team Hawk did not interfere.

Finally fed up with this shit, Sasuke closed his eyes and began focusing his chakra… and so did Teana.

"_Amaterasu_!"

Two bursts of black flame sprung to life in midair between the two, consuming each other and winking out of existence. Sasuke stared in shock at the red-haired girl's active three-ripple-pattern _Mangekyō Sharingan_, which stared at his own atom-looking _Mangekyō _(well, Sasuke knew enough about physics to understand that atoms didn't _really _look like three electron orbit-circles around a central nucleus like cartoons showed them, but…).

"So much for that…" he said, returning his eyes to normal Sharingan, as Teana did likewise. He knew that she wouldn't give him a chance to try that again, just as he knew that she knew that he wouldn't give her a chance to use her own _Mangekyō_ to strike a decisive blow, either. Back to swordplay and _Katon _techniques, then.

Teana made a sequence of hand-signs, preparing the combo that Asuma had taught her.

"_Katon: Hibashiri_!"

A line of flame sprang up between her and him, forming a foot-thick wall 10 feet high of fire.

"_Fūton: Senpūken_!"

She reared back and then punched forward, firing a concentrated vortex of wind from her fist that shot through the flame wall, carrying the fire and becoming a spinning high-speed focused vortex of piercing wind and blazing flame spiraling toward Sasuke. He barely got out of the way, his Akatsuki robe being singed; he used his sword to quickly slice off the burning edge of his left sleeve before the flames could reach his flesh.

The two charged each other, and again their blades clashed.

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

Four Paths of Pain lay dead. The Asura Path, busted open by a Rasengan. The Human Path, reduced to the top of a skull with a few clumps of hair still clinging to it. The Animal Path and the Naraku Path, both taken down by a _Rasenrengan _each. But now, Naruto lay on the ground, multiple black rods pinning him to the ground. Near him stood Deva Path and the injured but alive Preta Path. Fukasaku lay dead, and Shima was heavily wounded. The three Great Toads – Gamabunta, Gamaken, and Gamahiro – were out of commission.

And now, Hinata stood between Naruto and Deva.

"I used to always cry and give up... I made many wrong turns... But you... You helped me find the right path... I always chased after you... I wanted to catch up to you... I wanted to walk beside you all the time... I just wanted to be with you... You changed me! Your smile is what saved me! That is why I'm not afraid to die protecting you! Because... Naruto… I love you..."

She immediately dropped low and lashed out behind her, using a kick to destroy one of the piercing rods. Deva fired a bolt of compressed air, which struck Hinata… who disappeared in a puff of smoke.

'_Kage Bunshin?_' Naruto recognized. 'When did Hinata learn that? Did Kakashi-sensei teach her?'

Suddenly, a pair of hands shot up from the ground directly underneath Deva, grabbing hold of his ankles and yanking him down, leaving him buried neck-deep in solid rock.

"So I hear you can only absorb _ninjutsu_…" Hinata's voice came from behind Preta. It spun around to see Hinata, her fingertips glowing. "_Hakke…_"

The attacks struck home, forcing Preta to wince and flinch as the foreign chakra attacked its innards. "_Ni Shō_!"

Two more hits connected, and then four more. "_Yon Shō_! _Ha Shō_!"

Hinata's attacks increased in speed, dealing more damage to Preta's chakra network with each strike. "_Jūroku Shō_! _Sanjūni Shō_!"

Her attacks were now like machinegun fire, hammering Preta's systems as she finished the technique.

"_Hakke Rokujūyon Shō_! !"

The final blow did massive damage to Preta's body, disabling its absorption ability, and leaving it open to the coming strike. Naruto stared in awe as Hinata formed the technique she'd convinced Jiraiya-sama to teach her before his final mission, and then dashed forward and slammed it home.

"_Rasengan_!"

The sphere of violent chakra slammed into the base of Preta's neck, and a few seconds later detonated, blowing away the body's neck, chest, and most of its head. The disturbingly-bloodless remains were sent flying back, skidding to a stop about a dozen meters away. At this point, Deva broke free of the _Shinchū Zanshū no Jutsu_, a surge of gravity energy blasting him free and leaving him hovering about a foot off the ground, glaring menacingly at Hinata.

She was low on chakra, having used quite a bit in fending off several enemy summons; she chose not to spend the rest of her reserves on more Shadow Clones, instead lashing out and destroying another of the black rods pinning Naruto… and getting _Shinra Tensei_'d several meters away for her troubles. She struggled to her feet, and concentrated chakra into her hands, forming two lion-heads.

"_Jūho: Sōshiken_!"

She charged him, fists blazing, and Deva had to resort to bobbing & weaving to avoid the snapping jaws of chakra, any of which he recognized could do significant damage with even a single hit. Eventually, a brief lapse in control from Nagato allowed Hinata to land a blow, stunning Deva. She took the chance, snapping out and destroying two more of the black rods pinning Naruto.

"Just two more!"

Unfortunately, Deva regained himself, smashing her with a high-strength _Shinra Tensei_, rocketing her into the air to land with a thud several seconds later. Several seconds after that, she struggled back to consciousness, hearing Naruto's panicked voice calling her name. She struggled to her feet, limping slowly closer to Naruto. She collapsed a few meters from him, and crawled the rest of the way, pulling herself close to him.

"I don't understand" Pain murmured. "Why would someone as weak as you try to resist? _Why fight me… knowing that you'll die?_"

"…I stand by what I say. That… is my _nindo_…"

She leaned down close to Naruto, and kissed him. The burst of gravity flung her into the air and then slammed her hard into the ground. A black blade extended from Deva's sleeve and was driven through her heart, and Naruto felt as Hinata's waning life force abruptly disappeared entirely.

"It was just like this…" Pain spoke, "when my parents were murdered before my eyes… by Konoha shinobi. Love breeds sacrifice, which in turn gives birth to hatred. And from that, we are able to know pain."

Pain stared into Naruto's eyes, noticing as they turned pure, glowing red, and the killing intent became so thick and powerful as to be physically palpable in the air.

"Yes. _Know pain_."

There was a tremendous bang, as a sphere of dark-red and black enveloped Naruto, a pillar of black light shooting up into the heavens, parting the clouds as a daemonic chakra was felt across the entire area.

"Embrace your hatred! _Embrace your pain!_"

From within the sphere, there was an unholy roar.

After several seconds, Pain leapt away a few dozen meters as the sphere shattered. The _thing _that emerged was vaguely human-shaped, its entire body an every-changing mixture of deep-red and black energy; its face was a black mask, its eyes glowing circles of white above a similarly-glowing jagged-toothed maw. A pair of vulpine humerus bones ran from the shoulders to the elbows, a small plate of bone sat just above the forehead, and five long tails swung about.

The daemon spotted Pain, and swung its arm in a curve, sending a small tornado at the orange-haired figure. Pain cast a pulse of gravitic energy that dispelled the deadly whirlwind effortlessly. The Five-Tailed Form raised its arms, and huge chunks of rock and old tree-root burst up from the ground. It roared, and a fusillade of various stones of various sizes flew at Pain, who silently sliced several out of the way with his bare hands while dodging the rest. A huge chunk of stone, easily 20 feet tall, smashed into him, knocking him back. He burst free, only to be sent flying by a burning punch to the face. He turned his uncontrolled flight into a back-flipping spin, regaining control and landing atop a huge platform of stone suspended by old roots. Two gigantic red-and-black hands grabbed hold of the platform and ripped free a huge piece of it. Pain jumped down to the ground, only for the impromptu weapon to hammer-smash him, shattering on impact and burying him beneath stone and dust. After several seconds, he pulled himself free from the rubble, glaring at the daemon.

"Your hatred is strong…"

He leapt free, landing on a low boulder nearby.

"Now… do you still think that people can understand each other?"

Lightning cracked as the sky overhead clouded, and the 5-Tailed Form's body began to glow with power. The small amount of bone on its arms rapidly grew to form a complete set of fox's skeletal forelimbs. A spine emerged from the back, and a fox's skull emerged to cover the head. A sixth tail sprang into existence, and the skull's jaws opened to reveal the daemon's face.

"Your actions are justified" he spoke calmly. "But know this: my pain…"

His voice rose slightly, becoming what – for him – was a yell. "…is greater than yours! _Suiton: Bakusui Shōha_!"

From seemingly everywhere and nowhere, a massive volume of water sprang into existence, quickly forming a lake. Pain charged the 6-Tails at high speed, his feet almost-gracefully propelling him forward in sliding movements akin to ice-skating. From the mists came several arms of red-and-black chakra, and Pain had to quickly alter course as they pursued him, 'skating' around a large boulder and narrowly avoiding being sliced in half by the arms' swipes. One of the appendages shattered the nearby boulder, the force propelling Pain onto another one, where he went prone and cast a potent shield spell, just in time to deflect a massive barrage of explosive bolts of fire/plasma chakra.

"Hmph. Is that all?" he taunted, a slight smirk on his face. In response, a larger bolt flew in, shattering the shield and sending Pain flying backward. Pain quickly got back to his feet. "Not bad."

"This dark chakra…" Sakura said, standing on the outer edge of Konoha Crater. "I've felt it before… What's going on?" she asked the Hyūga next to her, who peered closer with his Byakugan.

"Hinata-sama went out in an attempt to save Naruto-kun. She destroyed the Preta Path, but…"

"Don't tell me…"

Out in the battlefield, Pain launched a pair of slicing wind waves, severing the petrified roots holding up the huge slab of rock that 6-Tails stood under, causing the rock to fall on top of it with a mighty splash. After a few seconds, the daemon burst up from the rock, entangled in roots. Pain conjured a black blade and threw it as a spear, nicking the daemon's arm; in response, the 6-Tails blasted its immediate surroundings with flame, melting rock and sending burning bits of old wood into the shallow water.

Suddenly, a vibrant light-green light emerged from the daemon's chest, forming a very long tendril that wrapped around the daemon several times. With difficulty, the daemon reached inside its own chest and pulled free the blindingly-bright crystal that was supplying the restraining tendrils.

"A _fuinjutsu_… set by someone else to restrain the Fox's chakra, using the stored chakra of the First Hokage…"

With a squeeze of the palm, the crystal was shattered, and the glowing green tendrils rapidly faded into nothingness.

"…He broke the seal? …Such strength of hatred to triumph over the _Shodai_'s power…"

The Six-Tailed _Yōko _slowly descended down the rock face, standing at rest atop the water's surface, the water in direct contact with it boiling and becoming steam. It stepped forward slowly… and then vanished, moving too fast for the human eye to perceive. After a second of searching, Pain spotted, from his right, the red being riding a pillar of boiling water, approaching him at speed. The newborn lake they fought in became turbulent, the boulder Pain stood atop being jostled about as it floated on the waves. From the waves, two extending red arms shot forth, and Pain blocked their glancing blows. In response, they split the rock he stood upon, sending him below the waves.

"_Shinra Tensei_!"

Pain stood on the rocky surface, palms pressed together in a praying position, the 10-foot-deep water swirling around him and yet leaving him untouched, like the eye of a hurricane. From within the water came one of the daemon's arms, clamping onto his face. Four tails emerged from the ground as anchors, and the daemon pulled itself free, right in front of Pain, its other arm grasping hold. He rose his clasped hands and pushed apart, breaking the thing's hold on his head, and then lashed out with a left jab, hitting it in the face. In response, it reared back and then roared… and the force of gravity reversed.

'Impossible! He's not only withstanding my _Shinra Tensei_, he's hitting me with it!'

There was the familiar pulsing sound of a _Shinra Tensei _except lower in pitch, and Pain was sent flying back at incredibly speed, skipping across the water like a thrown stone. He bounced across the rocks and smashed into a cliff-face, disappearing in the cascade of rock and dust kicked up by impact. The Six-Tails leisurely began to swim toward him, the top of its head and the skull atop it cutting through the water like a shark's dorsal fin.

It reached the edge of the water and began to gather _yin _and _yang _chakra, forming a dark violet sphere in front of its face. A pair of hands broke free from the rubble and clasped, and a huge chunk of the cliff face broke loose. The hands' owner followed.

"_Banshō Ten'in_!"

The huge slab of rock flew high into the air and then came crashing down directly on top of the daemon. The gathered energy shot out and then detonated violently outside the village, creating an absolutely tremendous explosion that rocked the just-arrived _Starshot_, sending it "drifting" about 100 meters.

"What the hell was that?"

An injured UNSC marine sat near the group of Shiho, Ino, Shikaku, Ahsoka, Inoichi, Shikamaru, and Shizune's body. Nearby, Shion, her arm bandaged, watched over the unconscious Kaede and Mai. About 50 meters away, Sakura, Gamakichi, and the Hyūga member beheld the distant devastation.

"What's Naruto's status?" Sakura asked the white-eyed man.

"Six Tails! If he goes too much farther, the _Kyūbi _may be unleashed!"

"…Katsuyu-sama! Please tell everyone to evacuate immediately!"

"Now what?" Shiho muttered. "The Leaf Village has been completely obliterated…"

"You must all evacuate as quickly as you can!" the three-foot-long Katsuyu suddenly announced. "Naruto-kun has lost control of the _Kyūbi_; I know this because another of my clones is still attached to him."

"But… Yamato and Kakashi should have placed a seal on him! How did this happen?"

"Hinata-san. She tried to save him… and was murdered right in front of him."

"And Naruto's rage triggered the transformation" Shikamaru finished.

"Where the hell is Yamato? ! What could he be doing at a time like this?"

A Pelican dropship descended, dropping off several UNSC soldiers and medics, the latter of which tended to the wounded in the group. Colonel Holland walked up to Shikaku.

"What's going on, Lieutenant-Colonel?" he asked.

"Hinata was executed by Pain, and Naruto went into his Six-Tailed transformation out of rage. Teana is still MIA; my long-range scout _Bunshin _indicates she has engaged Sasuke Uchiha in battle approximately 9.5 kilometers southwest of the village; neither of them have yet noticed what's happening over here, and communications are disrupted."

"Damn it… worse than I thought…"

Gaara, Temari, and Kankurō emerged from the dropship.

"I will start trying to locate more survivors and gather them here" Gaara said, heading off to do so, with his siblings splitting up to do it in other locations.

After spotting the downed Mai and Kaede and the injured Shion and Ahsoka, Col. Holland pulled up the TEAMBIO signs for Gamma Team. Five of the signals beat strong, showing life.

But the sixth was completely flat-lined.

"No…"

Pain burst free from the rubble, jumping back; his cloak was tattered, his unnaturally pale chest partially exposed. Tendrils of red and black energy swirled around the boulder, gripping it.

"The _Kyūbi_'s power… magnificent…"

The daemon struggled to pull itself free from underneath the boulder, and the tendrils then crushed the rock as Pain turned and fled. From the splash of water came a column of fire, which flew through the air, chasing the fleeing Akatsuki Leader.

"Naruto and Pain are both leaving the village!" the Hyūga with Sakura reported. "It seems that Pain is fleeing!"

Gamakichi laughed. "Serves the bastard right!"

"This is no time to be so light-hearted!" Sakura snapped. "We need to get to Hinata, see if there's anything that can be done… and then do something about Naruto. The way he is now, he'll attack anyone and everyone in sight."

Pain slid through the canyon, his feet hovering ¾ of an inch off the ground on a cushion of anti-gravity as he moved at high speed, pursued by a living, serpentine column of flame with the Six-Tails at its head. Trees ignited and rocks glowed with heat as Daemon-Naruto passed by them, with the few he burst directly through being reduced to ashes. The chaser and prey broke through the rocks, zooming through the forest. Eventually, Pain evaded his pursuer, coming to a stop atop a fallen log over a stream.

"I've brought Deva close enough…"

Deva Pain walked into a hollowed-out dead tree, clasping his hands together.

"_Chibaku Tensei…_"

"You don't have to go that far" Konan said. "Your body can't take much more…"

"Silence, please, Konan" Nagato replied. "I need focus."

Between Pain's hands formed a black sphere. He stuck his hand out through a hole in the tree, and the sphere shot off into the sky. A pair of plasma blasts flew in, destroying the tree, but Pain leapt free, hands still pressed together. The sphere took position, and its gravitational pull began in earnest. Huge chunks of rock, bigger in size with each passing second, began to rise from the ground, piling up atop the sphere and increasing its pull. The daemon charged, only for Pain to lash out with a focused _Shinra Tensei_, trapping it in a small sphere of rock. A plasma beam-bolt shot forth from the rock-sphere, only to be deflected back by Pain's black blade, stunning the beast and allowing the rock it stood upon to be grabbed by the _Chibaku Tensei_, rising into the air.

Pain grunted with exertion, pouring more power in, and entire mountains began to crumble and rise. Daemon-Naruto fired several shots down at Pain, but a _Doton: Doryūheki _sprang up to protect the gravity _jutsu_'s caster. Soon, the _Chibaku Tensei _had formed a gigantic sphere of rock floating in the sky, easily 100 meters across. The daemon fired several shots at it, and some of the rock melted, but the technique held, and the daemon was pulled ever closer to it. Several huge chunks of rock broke apart, and as the Six-Tails made contact with the sphere it was hammered deep into it by a barrage of massive, high-speed boulders. Seconds later, the sphere was finally complete.

Nagato slumped forward, wheezing, blood dripping from his nose and mouth.

"Why did you push yourself to make it that huge?" Konan asked, staring in awe.

"My opponent is the _Kyūbi_. I cannot ease up. The _Rikudo Sennin _is said to have created the Moon; this construct of mine is but a pebble in comparison. In any case… I have not captured the _Kyūbi_…"

**-**_**SCENE BREAK**_**-**

The fight stopped as the humongous flares of chakra became too much for even Sasuke and Teana to not notice. They both leapt atop neighboring trees, using their _Mangekyō _telescopic sight to zoom in… and gasped in shock at the huge sphere of rock hovering near Konoha… and then in horror as the titanic, skinless eight-tailed fox daemon burst partially free from it.

"…Naruto-kun's lost control!" Teana gasped, before booting up her comm. "Shion, can you hear me? …Shion? …Ahsoka? …Anybody? !"

She turned to Sasuke. "Sorry, but our business is postponed for now."

Before Sasuke could react, Teana shot off toward the Village as fast as she could, pouring chakra into her legs to boost her speed further, and leaving Sasuke in the dust.

'That chakra…' he thought. 'That creature… The _Kyūbi_… Naruto's lost control of it! If he sprouts one more tail, this entire continent's population is fucked!'

**-**_**END CHAPTER**_**-**

Final Chapter coming up.


	5. Two Disciples

**SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS**

**-****_CHAPTER START_****-**

**2.6 kilometers southwest of the Leaf Village**

Teana's _Kage Bunshin _had seen the devastation wrought upon the Leaf Village. Another had watched as the Eight-Tailed Form disappeared, and had watched from afar as Naruto pulled off an incredible come-from-behind victory. The original Teana had caught Naruto's conversation with Inoichi, Shikaku, and Ahsoka, and had silently followed Naruto as he made his way to the gigantic artificial tree.

Now, as the crippled Rinnegan-wielding man – whom she now knew to be her brother's murderer – fired a black spear from his cyber-throne, she dashed out and caught it, millimeters from Naruto's stomach. She glared at the surprised Nagato, focusing all her hatred into her gaze as she squeezed the spear in her hand until it snapped in two. Konan formed a sword of paper, ready to defend her old partner.

"Your face… and your chakra…" Nagato said. "I recognize it. Sayuri Uchiha had a second child? …And your hatred… another remnant of my sin…"

Teana was caught a little off-guard by this. "Sin?"

"…I did not want to kill Tiida."

She gasped in shock, the black rod clattering to the floor.

"He already knew pain – the pain of losing his family to my employer, just as I lost my family to Konoha. As he knew pain, I had no reason to bring it upon him, especially since he had conquered his pain and grown stronger from it. But… the Akatsuki was young at that time, and my benefactor threatened to remove all funding and dissolve the burgeoning organization if I did not do as he ordered. …As much as it pained me, I at the time considered ending one innocent life to be an acceptable price for ending thousands of guilty ones. …But that decision has haunted me ever since I made it. Regardless of my reasons, I took a life that did not deserve to be taken, unlike those many lives I have taken on _this _planet. It is the one kill I truly regret… and for bringing that pain upon you, I am truly sorry."

Teana gaped in shock, her Sharingan deactivating, as she felt like the universe had just punched her in the gut. She was unable to speak.

"…I… came here to talk to you" Naruto spoke to Nagato. "But, there was something else I wanted to find out, too. I wanted to see how I'd feel… seeing you in front of me… even I didn't know what I would do."

"And…?"

"And I _cannot forgive you_! I want to – _need_ to – kill you so badly, that it's making my entire body shake!"

He charged, and Konan moved in front of Nagato, ready to lay down her life to protect him. And Naruto didn't stop.

'_Even I can tell that this shinobi world is full of hatred. I wanted to do something about that hatred, but… I still don't know what I should do._' '_I'm glad you're my student_.'

And Naruto stopped, only a foot from Konan.

"…_Ero-sennin _said… that the day will come when people truly understand each other. He _believed _in that. When he told me all that, I wasn't even really listening to him… He said that we trusted _me_ to find the answer… but I was just glad to have his recognition. But now, I finally… understand what he really meant back then. It's not that simple…"

"However," Nagato said, "that does not change the fact that you cannot forgive what I have done. Love and forgiveness cannot be bought with mere words."

"Yeah. That's right."

"It's too late for Jiraiya-sensei's idealism now. It's just too far from reality. You said that you would defeat me and bring peace to the world, didn't you? Even if that's just an excuse for you to satisfy your revenge, if that is your justice, that's fine. You're not a god. Having seen reality, can you truly believe in Jiraiya-sensei's nonsense?"

"…When I found out you were once _Ero-sennin_'s apprentice, there was something I really wanted to ask you. If you were his apprentice, how did you turn out like this?! You two… aren't like the others in Akatsuki, who kill and commit atrocities for sheer enjoyment. Even so… I don't know anything about you two. That's why… I want to hear your story, before I give you my answer."

"…Alright. I shall tell you of our pain."

"Nagato! This is a waste of time!"

"Hold on, Konan. …I want to hear his answer. Besides, in our current state we probably wouldn't be able to take these two down. One is a Sage, Jiraiya-sensei's last student, the Nine-Tails' host, and the son of the Fourth Hokage; the other is an Uchiha, and she has the _Mangekyō _and several powerful alterations to her body. Besides… he is a fellow student of Jiraiya-sensei. He has earned this much."

And Nagato told his tale – the murder of his parents by Leaf shinobi right before his eyes, and how he in turn awakened his Rinnegan and slaughtered the two shinobi; how he met Yahiko and Konan; how the three resorted to everything they could just to survive in the war-torn land; how they first discovered Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru fighting Hanzō; how they convinced Jiraiya to teach them; how Nagato's Rinnegan became controllable; how Jiraiya left them to their own once he was sure they could take care of themselves; how Yahiko worked to forge an organization bent on bringing peace to the Land of Rain; how Hanzō, allied with Danzō Shimura and the Leaf ANBU Root, betrayed them; how Yahiko was killed by Nagato's own blade, and how Nagato's full power awakened and slaughtered all except the two enemy leaders, who escaped.

"Yahiko was dead. From then on, I took over as leader of the organization… the organization that became Akatsuki. Since that day, countless comrades have fought and died; of the original lineup, only Konan and I remain alive. The peace-addled citizens of the Land of Fire… the small commissions they pay to Konohagakure become war funds. The Land of Fire is fully aware in having taken part in war, yet they falsely proclaim peace. The peace that you "great" nations enjoy only exists precariously atop the sacrifices of us smaller nations. To us, your peace means violence.

"Just by living, people hurt others without even realizing it. So long as sapient life exists, so too will hatred. True peace cannot exist… in this cursed world. Everything Jiraiya-sensei said is mere wishful thinking! …I have told you my story. Now… let me hear your answer."

Teana stood silently, at this point equally ready to support whatever decision Naruto made. Now understanding her brother's reluctant murderer… she almost pitied him. Naruto said nothing, only reaching into his pack and pulling out an old book: "Tales of a Gutsy Ninja".

'_But I have faith that there will come a time when people can truly understand each other._'

"You may be right. I also think the same way. I get where you're coming from now. But I still… can't forgive you. I still _hate _you."

"Then you want to settle this?"

"But… _Ero-sennin _believed in me, and left me his quest. So I'm going to believe in what he did. That is my answer! So… I won't kill either of you."

"…You'll still believe in what Jiraiya-sensei believed? …I see. So that's your answer. And… do you expect us to wait until you make this world a peaceful one? Don't toy with me! It is far too late for me to believe Jiraiya-sensei's words! There is no such thing as true peace! So long as we live in this cursed world, peace is an impossibility!"

"…Then… I will break that curse. If there is such a thing as peace, I will seize it and bring it to the world! I will never give up."

Pain gasped lightly, his eyes widening as old memories began to surface.

"…You… that's… those words…"

"That's right. They're taken straight from this book. _Ero-sennin_'s first novel. Jiraiya-sensei was seriously trying to change the world with this. At the end of this book, he wrote about a student who helped provide him with inspiration. That student… was _you_, Nagato."

"I… I remember now…"

'_Sensei…_'

'_What's the matter?_'

'_Is… this a good time?_'

'_Sure… I was trying to start on my book, but I can't come up with any ideas. I figured I'd take a break and get a bite to eat. …So, what's going on?_'

'…_About what you said to me about the hatred in this world… I've been thinking about it._'

'_Oh? Have you figured anything out?_'

'_Peace… I don't know how to achieve peace yet. But… someday, I will break this curse. If there is such a thing as peace, I will seize it and bring it to the world! There's something more important than the method. It's the power to believe!_'

'_I see… that's an excellent thought. You may very well be correct. …Hm? Ah!_'

'_What is it?_'

'_Thanks to you, I think I'll be able to write a fine novel! Now then… first, I've got to come up with a name for the hero… hm? Ramen…_ _spiral_…'

-(-)-

'_Now I'll be able to return to the village without any worries. You're on your own from now on. You've done very well these past three years! Aw, don't cry, Yahiko, or people may call you a coward! Konan… you're going to grow up to be beautiful. I'm looking forward to seeing you again. …This is a poor land, and there is more sadness and tough times up ahead. But now, you have the strength to change this land. …Nagato… you three have grown up. Wouldn't you agree?_'

'…_Thank you… sensei…_'

-(-)-

'_Come on, Yahiko, stop crying. I'm sure we'll see him again someday_.'

'…_Sensei…_'

_Entering the old shack, Nagato found a copy of Jiraiya's book on the table. Picking it up, he began to read._

'_Give up_.'

'…_Can I say one thing?_'

'_Hell no!_'

'_Give up… on making me give up!_'

_THWACK_

'_E-even if you bring me down, another assassin will attack the village. …As long as we are cursed to live in this shinobi world, there will be no peace._'

'_Then… I will break that curse! If there is such a thing as peace, I will seize it and bring it to the world! I will never give up!_'

'_W-who are you?_'

'_My name is…_'

-(-)-

'_Maybe you are the reincarnation of that Sage. I have a feeling that those eyes of yours have been entrusted with the Sage's hopes. A certain sage gave me a prophecy… that one of my students will bring about a great change in the Ninja World. And I will guide that revolutionary. I believe you are that person. And I also believe in you._'

-(-)-

'_Nagato… you are the savior of this world. I know… you can do it…_'

-(-)-

'_Amazing, Yahiko! What a huge catch; I'm so impressed!_'

'_Awesome, huh?_'

'_It tastes great; doesn't it, Nagato?_'

'_Yeah_'

-(-)-

'_This tastes great, dear!_'

'_Now, eat up, Nagato._'

-(-)-

'_Rather than rule the world through pain… I wish you had moved past the pain and harnessed your power to bring about peace in a positive way._'

-(-)-

'_So I will believe in what Ero-sennin believed in._'

"And… the name of this novel's hero… His name is…"

"…Naruto…"

"My name… is a precious keepsake from Jiraiya-sensei! I can't just give up and stain my master's keepsake! I will be Hokage! And I will bring peace to Amegakure! Please… believe in me!"

"…How? How can you say that you will never change? That you will not change no matter how great the pain you face? Can you continue to believe in yourself? Can you guarantee it? Can you have such faith in yourself?"

"…I… have experienced pain, as well."

'_It's __him__._'

'_Stay away, honey._'

'_Monster…_'

_Swirling energy and crackling thunder._

'_NARUTOOOO!-!-!_'

'_SASUKEEEEE!-!-!_'

_A blinding clash, and a rock-shredding sphere of light_.

_An unholy roar, as a monstrous daemon smashes a tearful Sakura with one of its four tails._

_A melting ice-cream under a streetlight at night, its drippings joining the tears of a newly-masterless student._

'_Because… I love you…_'

"…And there's a lot of pain nesting inside of me as well. …There's no telling what kind of pain is yet to come for me. But… if I stop believing because of that… if the hero should change so drastically, it would turn into another story. It would turn into a different story from the one my master left behind. Then it won't be Naruto! …I can't write novels like my master did. That's why… the sequel has to come from the life I live. No matter how great the pain, I'll keep on walking. Because that's who Naruto is!"

"…If the hero changes… it becomes a different story. …You and I are sibling disciples. As students of the same master, we ought to be able to understand each other. That is what I said to you earlier. I meant it as a joke. …You… are a curious young man. You remind me… of how I once was. …I wasn't able to believe in Jiraiya. Nor… could I believe in myself. However… I have a feeling that, unlike me, you will walk towards a different future."

His arms came free from their holders.

"Too much time has passed for Tiida or for Jiraiya-sensei, but… for your village, your sensei, your admirer… it is not too late to set things right. …I shall believe in you… Naruto Uzumaki. …_Gedō: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu_."

"Nagato, you can't!"

"Konan. It's okay, old friend. I… have made my final decision. A decision I had once given up on."

"What is this? What _jutsu _is…"

"…Those who possess the Rinnegan are able to manipulate the techniques of all six Pains, and are said to exist outside the realm of life & death. Nagato's _dōjutsu_… is that which controls life and death. He is the seventh Pain." '…He is willing to so far for this boy… This mysterious child… has changed him…'

In the center of the village crater, a huge _thing _surfaced, towering hundreds of feet high. Its mouth opened wide, and hundreds of motes of green light sprang forth, enveloping the village. Everywhere a mote of light landed, a person resumed life, their injuries disappearing. A mote of light struck Kakashi's body, and his eyes opened, he then sitting up. A light merged with Fukasaku, who groaned and sat up (to the screaming surprise of his wife Shima). A mote of light merged into Hinata, and her pale eyes opened, the hole in her chest disappearing as oxygen again filled her lungs. A light went through a pile of debris next to the now-conscious Gamma 2, 3, 5, & 6, which then shifted aside as Marie struggled to her feet from underneath it, her currently-inactive Device on her forearm; she looked down at herself in shock and amazement, finding not a scratch on her entire body. Kaede, realizing what this all meant, tearfully latched onto Marie in a tight hug, which Marie soon returned.

"It's… it's an honest-to-God miracle…" Col. Holland muttered, as a few Sangheili lifted their palms in silent, reverent prayer.

Back at the 'tree', Nagato's hair turned white.

"What? What just happened?"

Katsuyu's five-inch-long clone emerged from within Naruto's jacket.

"The dead back at the village are returning to life" she reported. "Hinata-san, Kakashi-san, Marie-san… everyone!"

"…I'm still in time to revive those who were killed since I arrived at the Leaf Village. It's the least I can do for them."

With the technique completed and his life energy expended, Nagato separated his hands and slumped over, gasping for breath.

"War inflicts death, injury, and pain to both sides. The death of someone precious to you is hard to accept. We convince ourselves there's no way they could die. Teana knows this well, don't you, child?"

Teana nodded, still quivering as Nagato's final words hit close to home.

"…It especially can't be helped with your generation, Naruto-kun. You don't know war. You may try to find meaning in death… but there is only pain. An unbearable hatred… senseless deaths… eternal hatred… and pain that does not heal. That is what war is. Naruto… this is what you will be facing in time. …Hm. Regarding that book, and you… it feels like someone set it all up. Or… perhaps this is the real work of God. …It seems my work ends here, Naruto. I believe… you can bring… true… peace…"

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

"…You're taking this one with you, as well?"

"Yes… the Deva Path was Yahiko's body. He is very precious to us."

"…So, what are you going to do now? I'd hate to think that you're returning to the Akatsuki."

"I'm leaving Akatsuki. Yahiko and Nagato were everything to me. Yahiko's dream… Nagato's dream… if their dream has been passed down to you, then you now embody their hope and dream. Nagato put his faith in you… and so will I. We of Amegakure shall pursue their dream alongside you."

'_If I can't find the answer, perhaps I'll entrust you to find it!_'

'_I shall believe in you… Naruto Uzumaki…_'

"…The name Naruto, the guts to never give up, and pain. That is what I have inherited from my teacher and my brother disciple."

Konan slowly raised her hand, and paper flew into it, forming into an origami bouquet. She stepped forward and held it out to him.

"This time… I pray that you will be the blossom of hope that never wilts."

With a smile, he accepted the gift. As Konan turned to leave…

"Konan-san"

Konan turned, as Teana walked up to her. The younger girl fidgeted, as if unsure what to say.

"I… I forgive Nagato. For killing my brother, I place the blame upon this mysterious superior of his. Please, tell me… who is this orchestrator?"

Konan looked at the two teens watching her, and sighed.

"…Madara Uchiha."

Both of them gasped. "But… he's dead!" Naruto said. "The records say the First killed him 60 years ago!"

"No" Konan replied. "He survived. He's still alive even today, controlling Akatsuki from behind the scenes. He… he viewed the rest of his clan as a potential threat to him, and thus helped orchestrate the Uchiha Massacre. And… he tracked down Sayuri-san and managed to open a trans-dimensional portal long enough to pass through and kill her and her husband – she was very powerful, as powerful as Itachi-san, and posed a significant threat should she ever find a way back to this world; he claims to have had to use a forbidden technique called Izanagi, the specifics of which I do not know, to defeat and kill her, but kill her he did. When he learned of Tiida's existence years later, he forced Nagato to go through and kill him as well. He does not seek peace like Nagato did. He is a ruthless, black-hearted man who seeks only gratification, conquest, and power; he is also very powerful, capable of great feats with his Sharingan. It is almost certain that you will have to face him in the future, Naruto-kun."

With that, Konan gently placed an origami rose in Teana's hair, and then turned and left, the two paper "coffins" levitating behind her. The two made their way back toward the Leaf Village, stopping to erect a monument to Jiraiya. As they neared, Naruto began to fall over, his exhaustion finally catching up to him, only for Kakashi to appear, letting him fall onto his back.

"Good job"

"Kakashi-sensei…"

"Just lean on me. Come on, hero; let's go home."

As they walked through the trees, a curious sound reached their ears. Cheering. Thousands of people filled the area, all of them shouting praise for Naruto.

"They've all been waiting for you." 'Naruto… I'm so proud of you…'

He gently let Naruto to his feet, as children ran to see him.

"But… how?"

Mini-Katsuyu emerged from Naruto's jacket. "I relayed every detail of the events that occurred."

The people began to crowd around, but parted as Sakura walked up… and bashed Naruto in the head.

"You reckless idiot…"

She caught him as he fell, hugging him.

"Thank you…"

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, let's go join them!"

"Nah. I'm fine where I am."

"But-"

"Now, now…" Ebisu said, as the Konoha 12 and their senseis, along with the rest of Team Gamma, gathered around Naruto. "Naruto is amazing, isn't he? …At first, everyone thought he was a nuisance… including myself. We feared his destiny, so we kept him at arm's length and refused to bother with him."

'_That fox kid shouldn't become a ninja!_'

'_What the hell is the Third Hokage thinking?!_'

-(-)-

'_Team Kakashi… I heard they defeated the terrorist Zabuza Momochi!_'

'_Sounds like the Kyūbi Kid had a part in it…_'

'_No way… I heard he was no good_. _I bet it was Kakashi's doing._'

-(-)-

'_I heard the Kyūbi Kid made it to the finals of the Chūnin Exam._'

'_Are you serious?! …He's more skilled than I thought…_'

'_Hmph. I just hope the fox daemon doesn't go on a rampage_.'

-(-)-

'_That's the fox kid?_'

'_I can't believe he won against a Hyūga…_'

'_That was incredible!_'

'_I never expected such a battle from the fox kid._'

'_He's quite a boy…_'

"However… he never, ever gave up. And he stayed true to his _Nindo_. And slowly, but surely, we couldn't help but come to acknowledge and respect him."

Iruka looked out, remembering more of Naruto's ever-improving PR.

'_I heard he protected the village from the One-Tails' Jinchūriki!_'

'_Who did?_'

'_Naruto Uzumaki. You know, the one…_'

-(-)-

'_I'm so glad the 5__th__ Hokage has been decided!_'

'_We can breathe a little easier now._'

'_Thanks to Jiraiya-sama and Naruto!_'

'_Is it true they fought Orochimaru?_'

-(-)-

'_I heard they couldn't bring Sasuke Uchiha back…_'

'_I hope Naruto isn't too depressed._'

-(-)-

'_A group called the Akatsuki is after the Jinchūriki._'

'_Which means Naruto will also be targeted._'

'_Will he be okay?_'

'_Jiraiya-sama will look after Naruto_. _And so will we._'

-(-)-

'_I heard that Naruto rescued the Kazekage from the Akatsuki!_'

'_Wouldn't it be great if this results in a formal alliance between the Leaf and the Sand?_'

-(-)-

'_The Akatsuki have killed Jiraiya-sama!_'

'_Is Naruto all-right?!_'

-(-)-

'_Naruto has Jiraiya-sama's determination and will!_'

'_He hasn't lost heart!_'

'_He'll keep moving forward like always!_ _And we'll be right behind him!_'

"And now, everyone trusts Naruto implicitly. We worry for him, we have hope for him, we pray for him. He has truly changed the hearts of this village."

"It's because he has done his best in everything he's done" Iruka said.

'_Iruka_'

'_Yes, Hokage-sama?_'

'_I agree with you to a point, but he is just like you. He's never known the love of a mother or father, and because of __that__ incident, people have avoided him. So in order to get attention, he resorted to mischief. In whatever shape or form, he desperately wants to validate his existence and his worth. …The Fourth Hokage wanted the villagers to regard Naruto as a hero. He placed the seal and died hoping for that._'

As Iruka watched as cheering people tossed Naruto into the air in celebration, tears of joy and pride rolled down his cheeks.

'_Sandaime… Yondaime… _there is a hero before us!'

**-****_SCENE BREAK_****-**

**Konohagakure**

**Three days later**

"Are you absolutely certain you cannot stay?" Kakashi asked, filling in for the comatose Tsunade.

"Sadly, yes" Col. Holland replied. "As much as we would all love to stay – to keep helping you and the Sand repair Konoha – the dimensional currents are shifting. We'd be stuck here 10 years if we stayed. I promise, though, that once we've figured out what's messing with the trans-dimensional fabric and repaired it, we'll send envoys. It was an honor serving alongside you all."

"The honor was ours, Colonel."

10 minutes later, as Colonel Holland and Ship-Master Arum left the command tent, they caught up with Gamma Team, who were saying their good-byes to Team Kakashi, Team Kurenai, Team Guy, and Team Asuma.

"I'm sorry about this, Teana-chan" Naruto said. "I know you really want to get back at Madara for everything he's done to you."

Teana sighed. "Who am I to interfere with a Chosen One's duties, Naruto-kun? Besides, I know I'm not yet strong enough to fight someone like that. I just…"

"Hey, no worries! When I face him, I'll avenge your family along with all the others who he's killed. And I'll make sure to land a bone-crushing punch onto him with your name on it!"

She chuckled. "Thanks." She walked over, grabbing hold of Hinata with one arm and Naruto with the other, pulling them together into each other and causing both to blush slightly. "You two play nice, now."

Hinata went beet-red, and Naruto chuckled nervously, yet still gave a happy grin and a thumbs-up. From one leader of a group of teen heroes to another, Naruto and Teana shook hands. Echo-419 flew in, and the off-worlders piled on and were flown back up to the _Starshot_, which a minute later began to fly up into the sky.

As they breached the outer atmosphere, Teana thought back to her meeting with Itachi…

-_Flashback_-

Teana's eyes shifted to _Sharingan_, and Itachi's responded in kind. After several seconds of staring into each other's eyes, reading each other, Itachi spoke.

"I'm your contact, Teana-san."

Teana's eyes widened in great surprise. "…You?"

Itachi nodded, deactivating his _Sharingan_. After several seconds, Teana reluctantly did likewise, gradually lowering her weapon arm.

"My time is short" he said. "I have, at most, 15 minutes before I must depart, lest the Leader realize what I'm up to."

"The Akatsuki Leader… I think I saw him once, as a hologram chastising Hidan and Kakuzu, calling them back to seal the 2-Tails. …Who is he?"

"He calls himself Pain. He possesses the _Rinnegan_. And, under order from the _true _leader and founder of Akatsuki… he was the man who killed your brother."

There was a muffled _thump _as Mirage fell from Teana's grasp and into the grass.

"This knowledge I have gained from an old Sage I knew whom has since succumbed to age. The True Leader saw your mother as a threat, even though she was an entire realm away from him; he also held a grudge against her just as he held one for all Uchiha. So, 12 years ago, he managed to recreate the portal that had brought your mother Sayuri to your homeworld. And he went through, tracked your parents down, and killed them. Six years after that, he ordered Pain to step through again. Pain ambushed your brother Tiida when he was pursuing a wanted criminal. Your brother fought _magnificently_, putting up a truly superb fight and even managing to literally disarm Pain, but Pain's power proved too much for him, and he was killed. For reasons unknown, Pain took your brother's body when he departed back to this world. Your brother's plan managed to hide your existence from the True Leader and Pain, and thus you now live; had they known of you, you'd have been a corpse years ago."

"H-How did you…?"

"I have my ways…"

Over the next several minutes, Itachi revealed several more staggering revelations to Teana, many of which left the girl reeling from how far from left field they came. As he prepared to leave, Itachi made Teana swear on her honor to not tell a soul until after his death. He left as quietly as he'd arrived, leaving the teen standing dumbstruck in the forest clearing.

-_-Flashback End_-

During their meeting, he'd told her the truth of the Uchiha Massacre… and how haunted he was by it. She and he had formed somewhat of a bond despite the short meeting, a combination of Teana's missing her brother and Itachi's ingrained powerful older-brother instincts. Before they parted company, he had placed two fingers at the bridge of her nose.

"I am leaving you a gift" he had said. "When the time comes for yours to awaken, my gift will give you strength to triumph over the mightiest foes. I pray that it will keep you safe, Tia."

'I wonder what his gift was?' Teana thought in the present. She leaned back, feeling the slight jolt as the _Starshot _entered slipspace, destined for a new world.

**_-BOOK 4 END-_**


End file.
